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Foundation Curriculum | Required Courses |  Admission Requirements

The graduate program in taxation and financial planning is designed for practicing accountants and attorneys, recent accounting majors, financial planning professionals and those wishing to enter the field of taxation. Emphasis is placed on tax research and planning as well as technical competence in practical applications of the current tax law and financial planning. Successful completion of the curriculum requirements will lead to the degree of Master of Science in Taxationand Financial Planning.

Philosophy

The goal of the M.S. in Taxation and Financial Planning program is to foster the students' professional and intellectual growth in the specialized area of taxationand financial planning. Practical as well as analytical skills are emphasized. The program is tailored to enable the tax and financial planning professional to effectively analyze client problems and to cope with the challenge of new tax laws in the future.

Objectives

The educational objectives of the Master of Science in Taxation and Financial Planning program were developed by the financial planning faculty in conjunction with the curriculum committee with input from industry professionals.  At the completion of all degree requirements, students should be able to demonstrate the following:

• A breadth of expertise and specialization in taxation and financial planning.
• A proficiency in oral and written communication skills.
• Enhanced analytical skills in the application of the new tax law.
• An awareness of ethical issues in tax and financial planning practice.
• Enhanced understanding of the international aspects of doing business abroad.
• An appreciation for a team approach to problem solving.

Program of Study

Requirements for the degree are:

• Required courses (24 credits)
• Elective courses (9 credits) 
• Non-credits requirements (12 hours of Professional Development)
• To qualify for the degree, a student must have a minimum of 33 semester hours (11 courses) with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better. The minimum residency requirement is 27 semester hours (9 courses). Students who have not earned the M.S. in Taxation and Financial Planning degree during a period of 7 years from the date of matriculation must have their academic standing reviewed and may have to meet additional requirements to graduate.

Foundation Curriculum  (0 - 12 credits)

Foundation course requirements may be satisfied by completion of prior coursework, self-study or through challenge examination. Foundation courses must be completed prior to enrolling in the advanced portion of the MSTFP program.

M.S. in Taxationand Financial Planning

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) has a registered specified curriculum offered by Widener University which enables students who complete the prescribed curriculum to sit for the CFP® Certification Exam. Successful completion of this exam, along with other requirements, allows the candidate to use the CFP designation for professional purposes.

Please note that CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. and are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.  Widener University does not certify individuals to use the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERâ„¢, and certification marks. CFP certification is granted only by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met its ethics, experience and examination requirements.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Master of Science in Taxation degree who fall into one of the following categories are excused from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) requirement.

• All applicants holding any graduate degree from an accredited institution.
• All applicants who have passed all parts of the CPA, CMA, CIA, CISA, CFA, CFM or CFP examinations.

All other applicants must take the GMAT.