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University of Southern California
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Graduate Degrees

Juris Doctor/Master of Business Taxation

Dual Degree Program

The Leventhal School of Accounting, in conjunction with the USC Gould School of Law, offers a program leading to the dual degree of Juris Doctor/Master of Business Taxation (J.D./M.B.T.). This program permits a student to pursue a specialized program in taxation through courses in the Marshall School of Business, the Leventhal School of Accounting and the USC Gould School of Law. The M.B.T. portion of the program leading to the J.D./M.B.T. is 45 units, including 10 units of law school courses that are recognized by the Leventhal School of Accounting toward the J.D./M.B.T.; a maximum of 33-36 units of Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School of Accounting courses are recognized by the law school toward the J.D./M.B.T. Students must complete 76 law units to satisfy the J.D. portion of the dual degree.

Unit Requirements

The total number of units required for the M.B.T. portion of the J.D./M.B.T. program will vary, depending on the educational background of the individual student, but all students are required to complete a minimum of 30 units of business courses and maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 for these courses. A total of 15 units of taxation, accounting and business courses listed below in Group I may be waived by the Leventhal School of Accounting if the student has completed substantial academic work of high quality from an International Association for Management Education-accredited school.

The courses in Group II are required of all J.D./M.B.T. students. Students must choose a minimum of six units from Group III courses and a minimum of 12 units from Group IV courses. In addition, a student may choose three elective units from Group V courses or another course approved in advance by the director of the M.B.T. program.

First Year

Required USC Gould School of Law courses (33 units)

Second, Third and Fourth Years

Forty-three units of law courses, including the law courses listed below, and 33-36 units of Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School of Accounting courses as follows:

Group I Courses (15 units)Units
ACCT 544Introduction to Strategic Tax Planning3
GSBA 510Accounting Concepts and Financial Reporting3
GSBA 511Managerial Economics3
GSBA 518Accounting Control Systems, or
ACCT 572Corporate Accounting and Reporting3
GSBA 548Corporate Finance3

Group II Courses* (10 units)Units
ACCT 550TTax Research and Practice3
LAW 600Taxation3 or 4
ACCT 561TIncome Taxation of Corporations and Their Shareholders, or
LAW 644Corporate Tax, or2 or 3
LAW 868Business Enterprise Taxation2-4

Group III Courses* (a minimum of 6 units)Units
LAW 644Corporate Tax2 or 3
LAW 717Estate Planning3
LAW 842Partnership Taxation2 or 3

*Students should seek counseling at the law school regarding all LAW courses.

Group IV Courses (a minimum of 12 units)Units
ACCT 551TTaxation of Partnerships and S-Corps3
ACCT 563TFederal Estate and Gift Taxes3
ACCT 565TEstate Planning3
ACCT 566TIncome Taxation of Estates and Trusts3
ACCT 567TTaxation of Transactions in Property3
ACCT 568TTaxation of Foreign Business Operations3
ACCT 569TAdvanced Partnership Taxation3
ACCT 570TState and Local Tax Concepts3
ACCT 571TTaxation of Individuals3
ACCT 573TFederal Tax Procedure3
ACCT 575TTaxation of Financial Markets3
ACCT 576TConsolidations3
ACCT 577TCompensation3
ACCT 578TAdvanced Corporate Taxation3
ACCT 579TAdvanced International Taxation3
The title for this course will change in fall 2010. Show revised version

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ACCT 580TAccounting Methods3
ACCT 580TTax Accounting Methods3

Group V Courses (0-3 units)Units
ACCT 572Corporate Accounting and Reporting3
ACCT 574Accounting in the Global Business Environment 3
ACCT 581Financial Statement Analysis3
ACCT 585Professional Accounting: Theory, Research and Policy3
BUCO 533Managing Communication in Organizations3
FBE 527Entrepreneurial Finance: Financial Management for Developing Firms3
FBE 555Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management3
FBE 588Advanced Real Estate Law3
FBE 589Mortgages and Mortgage-Backed Securities and Markets3
FBE 591Real Estate Finance and Investment3
MOR 542Strategic Issues for Global Business3

Course Duplication and Prerequisites

Credit in a law course precludes credit in the corresponding business course, and credit in a business course precludes credit in the corresponding law course.

In addition, where credit in one program's course precludes credit in the other program's corresponding course, the course in which credit is received will be deemed to have met the prerequisite for all subsequent courses in either school.

Corresponding Courses

ACCT 561T and LAW 644
ACCT 551T and LAW 842

Note: LAW 600 Taxation must be taken in place of ACCT 560T to meet the J.D./M.B.T. requirement. LAW 644 Corporate Tax may be taken in place of ACCT 561T to meet the M.B.T. course requirements.