west coast is better than east coast, in terms of VLSI. most major companies are here, from seattle to bay area to san diego. UW (intel is close by, and MS or Boeing), Stanford, Berkeley (silicon valley connections), UCLA(close with BRCM), UCSD (really close with QCM). are schools with good programs. but tough to get in; OSU, UC-Irvine, UCSB are also decent. however, often times PhD will be needed esp u want to do exciting projects, or R&D-oriented work.