2024 Best Taxation Master's Degree Schools in California

Taxation is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #95 most popular master's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for taxation students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 218 master's degrees in taxation to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Taxation School for Your Master's Degree

Your choice of taxation for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality taxation program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on taxation students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other taxation students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for taxation to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized taxation related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for taxation students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Taxation Master's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Taxation in California

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for taxation students seeking a a master's degree.

Top California Schools for a Master's in Taxation

1

Golden Gate University - San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

95 Annual Graduates

$93,862 Median Starting Salary

Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a wonderful decision for students interested in a master's degree in taxation. Located in the city of San Francisco, Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Those taxation students who get their master's degree from Golden Gate University - San Francisco make $14,664 more than the standard taxation student.

More information about a master’s in taxation from Golden Gate University - San Francisco

2

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA

23 Annual Graduates

$81,685 Median Starting Salary

University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in taxation. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Taxation master's degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,487 above the typical earnings of taxation majors.

More information about a master’s in taxation from University of Southern California

3

University of San Diego
San Diego, CA

20 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in taxation needs to look into University of San Diego. USD is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego.More information about a master’s in taxation from University of San Diego

4

San Jose State University
San Jose, CA

19 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat San Jose State University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in taxation. San Jose State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Jose.More information about a master’s in taxation from San Jose State University

5

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA

11 Annual Graduates

$71,856 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the taxation program state that they receive average early career earnings of $71,856.

More information about a master’s in taxation from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

6

California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA

34 Annual Graduates

$72,745 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a very large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the taxation program earn around $72,745 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in taxation from California State University - Northridge

7

California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA

15 Annual Graduates

$75,840 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, taxation master's recipients typically earn around $75,840 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in taxation from California State University - Fullerton

Best Taxation Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Taxation Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	183	76
Oregon	158	23

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Taxation

Taxation is one of 21 different types of Business, Management & Marketing programs to choose from.

Taxation Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Taxation	218

Most Popular Majors Related to Taxation

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Business Administration & Management	11,070
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods	3,491
Human Resource Management	1,050
Accounting	824
International Business	255
Finance & Financial Management	206
Entrepreneurial Studies	196
Management Information Systems	171
General Business/Commerce	157
Marketing	85

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.