Bentley College
Distance Education Graduate Programs in Taxation
Waltham, MA 02452
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Distance Learning ProgramBuilding on twenty-five years of national prominence, the graduate tax program at Bentley College offers new opportunities for accounting, financial planning, and tax practitioners through its new distance learning program. Distance education students enjoy the same high-quality learning experience as the students who are taking classes on campus. The course material is identical.
Using specialized software, classes meet in real time over the Internet. This highly collaborative course-ware provides live, two-way audio communication among students and faculty members, using a PC microphone and dial-up modem or corporate network. Classes are enhanced with on-screen graphics.
Live videoconferencing is another way to pursue distance learning at Bentley. Several courses taught on campus are simultaneously broadcast to videoconference sites in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts. Interaction also occurs via e-mail, telephone, and a comprehensive, dynamic course Web site.
The professors teaching courses through distance education are the same faculty members who teach on campus. Generally, they have earned doctorates and possess professional business experience.
Programs of Study
The Department of Taxation and Personal Financial Planning offers a distance program that can lead to a Master of Science in Taxation or a graduate certificate in taxation. Established in 1974, the Master of Science in Taxation (M.S.T.) program at Bentley College was one of the first programs of its kind in the United States. The M.S.T. offers a unique all-tax learning experience that readies students for leadership in the field of taxation, as well as careers as tax advisers, consultants, and executives in private and public firms. The M.S.T. program consists of ten graduate tax courses, all of which earn three hours of credit. Five of the courses are required and five are electives. Two courses constitutes a full-time load for part-time students.
The graduate certificate in taxation enables students who have earned a bachelor's degree to gain essential knowledge in the foundation of taxation principles. Certificate candidates take all five of the required courses in the M.S.T. program. Course work must be completed in five years.
The Elkin B. McCallum Graduate School and the Center for Professional and Executive Education offer a selected number of credit and noncredit courses via the Web and through videoconferencing. Information on these programs is available on the College Web site listed below.
Applying for Distance Education
The GMAT may be waived for applicants who have passed the bar or COA exam, or who have earned a graduate degree in an appropriate business-related area. Detailed information is available on the Web site listed below. Applications may be downloaded from the Web at http://www.bentley.edu/graduate. Distance learning students may take up to two courses before being accepted into the M.S.T. or certificate program by completing a special distance learning application. These students must submit a regular application if they later choose to pursue the certificate or M.S.T. degree.
Costs
Students taking synchronous web or videoconferencing classes pay regular campus tuition, which is $2135 per three-credit course.
Financial Aid
The Office of Graduate Financial Assistance administers need-based financial aid programs and offers non-need-based loans, using a combination of federal and institutional formulas to determine eligibility. Students should contact the Office of Graduate Financial Assistance at 781-891-3168 for information. Copies of the brochure Financing Your Graduate Education are available from the Graduate Admission Office and the Office of Graduate Financial Assistance.
For Additional Information
William Wiggins
Associate Professor and Chairperson
Department of Taxation and Personal Financial Planning
Bentley College
175 Forest Street
Waltham, Massachusetts 02452
Telephone: 781-891-2249