Tax Certificate Program Requirements
The certificate program in tax law is a response to the growing demand for attorneys with expertise in the tax field. Completion of the certificate requirements allows students to develop the practical and technical skills needed to build successful careers.
Certification also assures employers that the student not only has a mastery of basic principles of individual and entity taxation but has been exposed to some of the finer points of tax law and practice.
Students should notify the associate dean for academic affairs of their intention to satisfy the certificate requirements before the end of their first full academic year. In addition to all other degree requirements, students must complete:
- Federal Income Taxation
- Taxation of Business Enterprises
Any four of these electives:
- Estate Planning: Principles
- Taxation of Mergers and Acquisitions
- Tax Policy
- Pension and Employee Benefits Law
- Estate Planning: Practice
- Federal Tax Procedure
- Business Planning Seminar
- Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations
- Executive Compensation
And a minimum of 20 hours of participation in:
- An Internal Revenue Service-sponsored Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program or a similar nonprofit tax assistance program.
A student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in tax courses that count toward the certificate.