VSB Announces New Master of Business Taxation with Data Analytics Degree Program
Villanova, Pa., August 25, 2021 – The Villanova School of Business (VSB) will offer a new Master of Business Taxation with Data Analytics (MBT) program beginning fall 2021. The full-time, 12-month on-campus program integrates advanced coursework in tax and accounting with quantitative applications in modeling, data and analytics, and technology. Developed in partnership with KPMG, LLP, the program is designed for students seeking to launch careers as tax professionals within the accounting profession.
The MBT degree equips students with the multi-dimensional skills needed to navigate the rapid changes in data, analytics, and technology within the tax profession. The curriculum covers in-depth topics such as the impact of taxation on business operations and planning, corporate and partnership taxation, mergers and acquisitions, state and local taxation, and international taxation.
“Converting data into information for decision-making continues to transform the tax function,” said Michael Peters, PhD, Chair, Accounting and Information Systems and the Alvin A. Clay Professor of Accounting. “Using technology to gather and analyze data and gain proficiency in tax modeling are critical skills that will provide our graduate students with a competitive advantage in today’s job market.”
The MBT program expands the graduate accounting offerings of VSB and builds on the success of the Master of Accounting with Data Analytics (MAC) degree program which launched in 2017. Feedback from top global accounting firms helped shape these highly specialized programs which integrate data analytics with other essential skills to prepare students for the future of accounting and tax.
In addition to giving them the skills necessary to stand out in professional settings, the 30-credit MBT degree provides students with advanced industry-specific credits which, when added to their undergraduate credits, help them gain the hours necessary for the CPA license. More importantly, these extra 30-credit hours give students an additional degree that will maximize their job market value when pursuing employment opportunities. The graduate level program also offers experiential learning opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios and currently includes a tax-season internship.
“Our past collaboration with KPMG has been extremely effective in preparing our accounting students,” said Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD, the Helen and William O’Toole Dean of VSB. “We are excited to offer the MBT degree program for the next generation of tax professionals and future business leaders.”
As noted above, VSB’s tax accounting and analytics-based program is taught from a tax and business accounting perspective. The Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law’s interdisciplinary Graduate Tax Program will continue to offer a Master of Taxation, Master of Laws in Taxation and certificate programs for legal, accounting and business professionals as it has for over 40 years.
The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is top-ranked among business schools in the nation. Its online graduate business programs are ranked #5, and its online MBA program is ranked #17 by U.S. News and World Report. VSB has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence – the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management – with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and applied opportunities for students. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.