Important Update
The Estate Planning Certificate program is no longer accepting applications, and the program will be discontinued. Required coursework for current students will be offered until the end of the Summer 2025 term, and the tax faculty has created a teach-out plan so that students may complete the certificate during this period. Current Estate Planning Certificate students should speak with Dean Jen Bretschneider to create individual study plans to complete their certificates during this teach-out term.
Current students in the Estate Planning Certificate program who may be interested in transferring to the Master of Laws in Taxation degree program should speak with Dean Bretschneider (jennifer.bretschneider@temple.edu) about possible options. The LLM in Taxation will be discontinued and no longer accepting applications, however, current Graduate Tax Certificate students may transfer provided they complete their certificates by Summer 2025 and then the LLM in Taxation by the end of Summer 2027. Required coursework for current LLM students will be offered, and the tax faculty has created a teach-out plan so that students may complete the degree during this period.
Eligibility Requirements
Only JD graduates are eligible to earn the certificate. Applicants may apply during their final JD semester or any time after they have completed their JD degree. Applicants who do not complete a basic federal income tax course must take the basic course (Taxation 600) offered in Temple’s J.D. program in the first term upon enrollment unless an exception is given. Credits earned in meeting this prerequisite will not be applied toward the certificate.
Application Deadlines
Applicants are invited to apply for admission to certificate programs by the following deadlines before each semester:
| Semester | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall | August 1 |
| Spring | December 15 |
| Summer | May 1 |
Applicants are admitted on a rolling basis and are encouraged to apply as early as possible while space is available in the program.
Application Procedure
Step 1: Apply Online
Step 2: Submit Required Documents
In addition to completing the online application, all candidates seeking admission to the Estate Planning Certificate program must submit the following:
- Personal statement
- Law school transcript
- Application fee (waived for Temple Law School graduates)
- Resume/CV
- For lawyers trained in a non-English speaking country, official test results for TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo assessment exam must be submitted unless a waiver is provided. Please see below for details.
English Proficiency Requirements – expand for details
English proficiency is one of the most important predictors of your success in our program. For this reason, and to ensure students have the requisite language skills to succeed at Temple Law, we require proof of English proficiency from every applicant who is not a native English speaker
| English Proficiency Exam | Minimum Accepted Score | ||||
| TOEFL | 88 | ||||
| IELTS | 6.5 with no individual score below 6.0 | ||||
| Duolingo English Test (DET) | 115 |
If you do not meet these scores, you may be eligible for conditional admission if you attend an intensive English training course. Please learn more about our conditional admission program below.
Requests to waive the English proficiency requirement may be granted on a case-by-case basis by the admissions committee. Waiver requests will be considered if (i) your native language is English, (ii) if you have lived and worked in the U.S. for more than two years, or (iii) if you possess a university degree from an institution in which English is the primary language of instruction.
Your academic transcripts must verify that your degree was obtained from an English-speaking institution. If not, we may request you provide supplemental documentation from your law school to confirm that the coursework was taught in English.
If you take the TOEFL and submit your application through ETS, Temple’s Institution Code is 2906. The law school’s Department Code is 03.
Tuition
Tuition for the LL.M. in Taxation program is set in the spring of each year by Temple University Trustees.
| Enrollment | Pennsylvania Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| Full-Time or Part-Time (Per Credit) | $935 | $1,150 |
In addition to tuition, students are charged a Matriculation fee and University Services fee depending on the number of credits a student is taking each semester. A breakdown of these fees is available here.