Academic Programs
The Graduate Tax Program is the oldest and best of its kind in the nation, and has set the standard in tax education since its inception in 1945. The Program has over 40 tax faculty members, consisting of a diverse group of full-time, adjunct, and Global Visiting professors with expertise in all areas of tax practice. Our large faculty allows us to offer about 50 courses on different areas of tax law. There are about 115 students in the full-time tax program and about 180-200 students in the part-time evening program.
In addition to the Graduate Tax Program, there is the International Tax Program, which enrolls 20-25 students each year. This program is open only to foreign-educated lawyers and emphasizes taxation of cross-border transactions, comparative tax law, and international tax policy. The International Tax Program aims to train lawyers to work effectively in our increasingly global commercial environment. Students in the International Tax Program and the Graduate Tax Program participate in most courses together, providing both groups of students with unparalleled opportunities to establish personal and professional relationships that will last their lifetimes.
NYU also offers the Executive LL.M. in Taxation, which allows tax practitioners from around the world to complete much of their degree by taking online coursework on a part-time basis. We film a few of our classes each semester and online students take the same exam and are graded in the same grade curve as their on-campus cohorts who are taking the same course. We also offer online courses which were filmed in the prior academic year. Courses filmed in prior semesters are often offered in a semester when the same professor is again teaching the same course on-campus, typically using the same materials and problem sets. Again, students are taking the same exam and are competing for top grades with our on-campus students who are in the same course. Students in this degree program typically have been practicing in tax for several years and may take up to five years to complete the 24 credit program of study. We offer on-campus summer courses which meet over a condensed time frame (typically two weeks of daily instruction) so that students may complete their required number of credits in residency at our New York City campus.
While all law schools train lawyers, the great majority of whom will practice law, a first-rate law school, and consequently a first-rate tax program, has a greater responsibility. We believe that means a mission to be a center for scholarship dealing with issues of interest and importance to policy makers, present and future academics, as well as to those who are more oriented to the needs of current practice. It also means a responsibility to play a substantial role in disseminating such knowledge to those who can affect the shape of tax laws and their administration.