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Admission Requirements for MST

The admissions committee reviews an applicant's overall qualifications and takes the following factors into consideration:

  • Completion of a degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree from a recognized university.
  • Grade Point Average: Ideally a candidate's GPA will be at 3.0 or above.  Many circumstances may exist which offer explanation for a GPA below a 3.0; candidates are encouraged to submit a statement of explanation if this is the case. An absolute minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for graduate admission to San Jose State University.
  • GMAT, GRE or LSAT: The GMAT or GRE is just on part of your overall portfolio. The median GMAT score range over the last few terms ranged from 530-620. A competitive GRE score is 148 in Verbal Reasoning and 149 in Quantitative Reasoning. LSAT score should be 145 or above. The testing requirement is waived if you have successfully passed the CPA exam in the United States.
  • Required Undergraduate Courses: see below
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Resume
  • Letters of Recommendation (optional): For certain candidates these may be requested.
  • Foreign Language Test: Applicants who have earned a degree from a higher education institution in which the primary language of instruction was not English, must take an English language proficiency exam.  You must score a minimum of 80 on the internet-based TOEFL, 7.0 on the IELTS, or 68 on the PTE.

If you have any questions about our Admissions Requirements, we encourage you to contact us or to attend one of our information sessions.  Connecting to our department can be an essential step in your MST decision making process.

Required Undergraduate Courses
Applicants who have earned an undergraduate degree in accounting have completed all the prerequisite courses for the MST program. 
Applicants who have not earned an undergraduate degree in accounting must complete the following undergraduate courses (or equivalent) prior to admission. 
The San José State University course numbers for these courses are in parenthesis:

  • Financial Accounting (BUS1 020)

  • Managerial Accounting (BUS1 021)

  • Intermediate Accounting (BUS1 121A)

  • Tax Factors of Business and Investment Decisions (BUS1 123A)

The following courses are highly recommended prior to the beginning of the MS Taxation program:

  • Business Law (BUS3 080)

  • Computer Tools for Business (BUS4 091L)

  • Fundamentals of Finance (BUS1 170)

These requirements may be fulfilled at a community college. See a list of local community college courses that will fulfill the above requirement from Acceptable Classes for Tax admissions(pdf).

 

SJSU Gary J. Sbona Honors Students

Students who successfully complete the SJSU College of Business Gary J. Sbona Honors program, and satisfy the requirements for graduating with honors, are admitted directly to the SJSU MST program, thus waiving the GMAT/GRE/LSAT requirement, provided they meet the following requirements:

  • Graduate with Honors from the Gary J. Sbona Honors Program, which requires the following:
    • Complete two semesters in the program
    • Write a scholarly paper
    • Have a GPA of 3.5 or higher in their major (all upper division business classes)
  • However, for admission to the MST program, attain a GPA of 3.75 or higher in their major (all upper division business classes)

Eligibility to apply to the MST program extends for two years beyond the students' graduation date.