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Taxation

Types of Degrees Taxation Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Taxation can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	23
Associate’s Degree	28
Bachelor’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	1,161

What Taxation Majors Need to Know

Studies in Taxation develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Taxation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Taxation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Economics and Accounting — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Taxation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Taxation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Taxation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Taxation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Yardi software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Intuit TurboTax	Tax preparation software	✓
Tax compliance property tax management software	Compliance software	✓
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Taxation graduates include:

• Tax Specialist
• Tax Professional
• Tax Associate
• Review Appraiser
• Personal and Business Property Appraiser
• Gem and Jewelry Appraiser
• Property Condition Assessor
• Art Appraiser
• Commercial Appraiser
• Certified Commercial Appraiser
• Industrial Appraiser
• Accredited Appraiser
• Precious Metal Appraiser
• Physical Appraiser
• Jewelry Appraiser

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Taxation graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	39.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	18.6%
Some college courses	12.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	12.4%
Master’s degree	5.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.7%
First professional degree	4.1%
Postsecondary certificate	2.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Taxation?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 54.4% women and 45.6% men among Taxation graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	673	54.4%
Men	565	45.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Taxation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	608	49.1%
Asian	240	19.4%
Hispanic or Latino	174	14.1%
Black or African American	48	3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	33	2.7%
Race Unknown	51	4.1%
International Students	81	6.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Taxation Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Taxation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$85,524
4 years	$102,053
5 years	$117,987

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $117,987 — roughly 38% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Taxation Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Taxation. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Master’s	11	11

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Taxation Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Taxation graduates earn a median of $102,053 four years after completion — roughly 169% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Business Management Marketing Sales	52
Accounting and Related Services	52.03
Business Administration, Management and Operations	52.02
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	52.04
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	52.99
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES	52.00
Business/Commerce, General	52.01
Business/Corporate Communications	52.05
Business/Managerial Economics	52.06
Construction Management	52.20
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	52.07
Finance and Financial Management Services	52.08

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.