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The California State University system requires all applicants to meet the following requirements to be considered for graduate admission:

• A four year Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution if the degree was earned outside of the U.S.
• A 2.5 grade point average. 
• 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.

Please note that the Graduate Admissions and Evaluations Office (GAPE) staff performs the initial review of the above requirements after an admission application and all required documents are submitted to the GAPE Office. GAPE is unable to conduct a review of graduate admission eligibility prior to the completion of an applicant’s admission file. However, the Lucas Graduate School does periodically conduct pre-qualification interviews with prospective MBA students. You may find detailed information on pre-qualification interview opportunities on our website.

Admission to the MS Taxation Program - Lucas Graduate School of Business

1. Required Undergraduate Courses
Applicants must have completed 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)

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).

2. Grade Point Average
GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale) in your last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of coursework (Professional Development and Certificate Program course work cannot be included in this calculation.

3. Admission Test

• A score of at least 500 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) with verbal and quantitative scores each in the 50th percentile or above, or
• A score of at least 145 on the LSAT, or
• Passed the CPA exam.

4. English Language Proficiency Examination If Required - More about GMAT, LSAT, and TOEFL
The following courses are highly recommended prior to beginning the MS Taxation program:

• Business Law (BUS3 080)
• Computer Tools for Business (BUS4 091L)
• Fundamentals of Finance (BUS1 170)

5. Acceptable Classes for Tax Admissions
Acceptable Classes for Tax Admissions(pdf)

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