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Tax Law

Types of Degrees Tax Law Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Tax Law have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	756
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Tax Law Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Tax Law emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Tax Law program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Tax Law careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Tax Law graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Tax Law professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
CT Summation iBlaze	Document management software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
LexisNexis CaseMap	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
AbacusNext HotDocs	Document management software	—
Thomson Reuters Westlaw	Information retrieval or search software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
LexisNexis	Information retrieval or search software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Tax Law graduates include:

• College Professor
• Environmental Law Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Teacher
• Clinical Law Professor
• Business Law Professor
• Constitutional Law Professor
• Instructor
• Law Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Contracts Law Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Torts Law Professor
• Law Adjunct Professor
• Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
First professional degree	43.2%
Doctoral degree	40.6%
Master’s degree	13.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Tax Law?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 44.3% women and 55.7% men among Tax Law graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	337	44.3%
Men	423	55.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	381	50.1%
Asian	46	6.1%
Hispanic or Latino	62	8.2%
Black or African American	50	6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	24	3.2%
Race Unknown	75	9.9%
International Students	121	15.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Tax Law Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Tax Law graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$78,306
4 years	$93,383
5 years	$107,509

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $107,509 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Tax Law Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Tax Law. 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
Master’s	5	8

^{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 Tax Law Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Tax Law graduates earn a median of $93,383 four years after completion — roughly 146% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Law	39,447
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies	11,533
Advanced Legal Research/Studies, General	4,628
Programs for Foreign Lawyers	1,567
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies, Other	1,204
American/US Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence	899
Health Law	539
Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law	426
International Law and Legal Studies	414
International Business, Trade, and Tax Law	337
Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law	221
Human Resources Law	159

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.