blacknighterrant

Ok...... you want to go into the industry and not stay in academia and honestly you have the wrong approach for that. I've actually done a considerable amount of research on what the best route is. Going PhD if you want to work in the industry is usually not typically a good idea for a few reasons. 1. It is generally considered too specific to be useful for job applications, unless you find the perfect job, so they usually won't want to hire you because they'd have to pay you more for the same work and they believe that you might have forgotten more general aspects of electrical engineering that are applicable to to job because you were so focused on something else during your PhD. 2. Based on salary data, having a PhD usually does not help much in terms of pay-scale and job advancement once in the field. Instead of getting a PhD it is far smarter to get an MBA, an MBA makes advancement to managerial positions more likely while raising your payscale considerably more than a PhD would. In addition, an MBA gives you plenty of fallback options (for instance you could go into business or more easily transition into finance or investment banking which is something a lot of people trained in engineering degrees do. An Ivy degree would definitely help you get into a better MBA program and an MBA would definitely help you when securing loans. Another mistake you made is going into Engineering Physics for your masters. While it is true that an Engineering Physics degree would allow you to apply for many engineering jobs, those with physics degrees instead of a specific engineering degree often start with lower salaries and there are indeed some jobs that only accept the Engineering degree. In addition, Engineering Physics is not typically ABET accredited, which can make a huge deal depending on where you went to school for your undergrad. If you do not have an ABET accredited bachelors and do not go to a school with an ABET accredited Engineering Physics program, then it will make getting a PE license more annoying if you wish to do so in the future (A PE license isn't necessary, but it generally increases payscale and there are some jobs that require it). An Electrical Engineering degree would have been far more marketable than an Engineering Physics degree. Next, it isn't good to overvalue ivy league schools in engineering, there are far better programs at state schools than at most of the Ivy's (GA Tech, UCB, UIUC, Purdue, etc) and many ivy's may be ranked higher than they deserve to be as a result of general prestige. The type of research you do (research fit) and who you do it with will be far more important in PhD decisions than whether or not you went to the Ivy in PhD decisions if you choose to go that route (for example, if you did research in a sub-field of engineering that doesn't even exist at one of the top programs then it would be far harder for you to get into that program than if you had gone to another school and had years of practice in the new program you want to get into). But again, a PhD isn't typically all that helpful in the industry, you should only really go after it if you love research for the sake of research or want a career in academia. If you are trying to use it to be more marketable it might be worth considering switching the type of program you are in for your PhD (for instance mastering in electrical engineering and getting a doctorate in mechanical engineering) in order to display that you are extremely well qualified in multiple aspects of engineering (honestly this choice is also questionable at best, it could be an amazing decision depending on the employer and job you want).

They are both top tier universities and very close in global ranking. I believe imperial is slightly higher ranked. If the systems and control degree is in electrical engineering, I would take that over the robotics degree (ee's can find jobs in robotics but robotics degree holders would have difficulty getting certain ee jobs.). If they are both robotics research advisors and research projects and decide based on that.

MIT is a far better option. I wouldn't call Rockefeller world class. MIT is ranked #1 in the nation in Biology, with a #6 ranking in genetics and a #5 ranking in neuroscience. Rockefeller is ranked #14 in Biology and specializes in cell biology, not neuroscience or genetics (not in US ranking anyway, in global it is 22 for genetics and 35 for behavior, but if you look at global rankings mit is #2 in genetics and #5 in neuroscience). In addition, MIT is ranked #1 in Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering, which is important, because of the possibility of extremely interesting and cutting edge cross-departmental research. In addition, a degree from MIT is far more useful than one from Rockefeller (Global ranking of #2 for MIT vs #87 for Rockefeller), especially for jobs outside of the field, because biology related fields is all Rockefeller ranks well in. I know you plan on doing something related to biology and likely pursue a job in academia, but it is good to make your decisions with an open mind and plan for the worst. Which degree would be more useful if you can't get a job in biology or academia that you like or suddenly decide you want to do something else? It isn't a question people like to ask, but it is important nonetheless. What most don't know is that even many of those that graduate from MIT's PhD programs every year do not end up working in the field they got a degree in even though they are among the most qualified people in that field and there are many possible reasons for this. If you end up in that situation the MIT degree would be far more useful. Finally, if you aren't trying to get into academia and are pursuing a PhD as a means to increase your payscale upon graduation, going to MIT would probably considerably raise your chances of being admitted to MIT's business school for an mba if you decide to work outside of academia and that would considerably improve your promotability/pay potential.

GA Tech is a far better option if you want a PhD. GA Tech is ranked at #6, the only schools ranked above it are Standford, MIT, UC Berkley, UIUC, and Caltech. Regardless of your qualifications top 3 PhD programs are nearly impossible to get into, even with a perfect gpa and gre scores and multiple publications in major journals, especially for international students. In addition, depending on the specific research you want to do in electrical engineering, GA Tech may be better than Stanford. Getting into a program for masters would not at all guarantee acceptance into the school's PhD program (Stanford is fairly known as using their masters program as a way to fundraiser more than anything else, its not very concerned about its maters students. That said the degree would be useful in future applications and job searches, but would guarantee nothing), why make a $94,000 dollar bet that even when successful wouldn't really help much with your job prospects. Both a Stanford or GA Tech degree would open doors at every major company and give you a chance to succeed in your field, after the door is opened, it is up to you to impress future employers. If all factors are the same, a Stanford degree would look better, unless you are near Georgia, but it will not make the difference and get you a job over someone else unless everything else is identically or the person hiring you was also a Stanford grad. Your interview and other stats will make far more of a difference than if you went to Georgia Tech or Standford because both are top level institutions. Another thing to consider is alumni network, while Stanford is an elite institution with amazing alumni everywhere, the fact that it is so elite may actually be detrimental in some ways. Simply put smaller class sizes and less students = less graduates. Less graduates = less alumni working in the industry that could potentially help you find a good job. Stanford has higher reported salaries after graduation, but this isn't really something you should take too seriously because the metrics could be skewed as a result of location. People that went to GA Tech may be more inclined to stay near Atlanta, which would not pay as well as working in California would, but they could move to California and work there if they wanted to.

So, I got into Georgia Tech for masters, but they said nothing about funding and I think I may have accidentally said that I did not wish to be considered for funding. I also got into Purdue, but they said that it was unfunded and that I should reach out to professors about the possibility of an RA. Are RA's typically offered right off the back or could I reach out to professors prior to starting and try to get an RA regardless of what school I want to go to. Should I make preliminary funding a major deciding factor in choosing schools or if I can afford to pay for the first semester/year, is it possible/likely to secure funding after acceptance to the program?

Make plans in case you are rejected, but don't give up yet. It is true that not hearing back from certain programs after acceptances go out is usually a bad thing, but you don't know the full story yet. Maybe you haven't been notified about rejection/acceptance yet because the school does decisions multiple times. Maybe you've been wait-listed and they haven't informed you yet, or maybe the school really doesn't have a spot for you atm but is waiting to hear back from the first few people that got in before rejecting you. The school might also send decisions for funded and non-funded students at different times. You never know until you actually get the rejection, I thought I would be rejected everywhere before I heard back from schools too and I've only heard from 2 of the 11 I applied to so far. Finally, even if you don't get in, it sucks, but don't make it the end of the world. Who cares what other people think about what happened, yes it is embarrassing, but it is your life and situation, it doesn't really impact anyone else at all. Even if you are rejected to the schools you applied to it isn't too late to retake the gre and apply to other schools for the Fall Semester if you really don't want to wait. For example, I know UCR and Texas A&M still take applications for electrical engineering students (the program I was applying to) for a few more months, so I'm sure that there are good schools that still accept applications to their program this late into the game. If you applied PhD and didn't get in, maybe you should consider masters first? If you can't find any schools you are interested in that are still taking applications, you still don't need to wait a full year, you can look into the deadline for spring applications and try again for spring, some schools even have summer applications. Even if you do have to wait a year until next fall, it still isn't a big deal. It may seem horrible now, but in the long term you'll realize it was just a year.

Go to Caltech for physics. It has a far better reputation for physics than UMD and Pasadena has the best weather (Caltech is ranked #1 in quantum physics and #2 overall). The one thing to consider is that EE degrees normally tend to be slightly more marketable and often have slightly higher starting salaries, but Physics degrees have a bit more flexibility in the job search. However, this won't matter all that much if you plan an being in academia. Think you should eliminate UMD as a choice and choose between Princeton and Caltech, although I would personally go with Caltech. For you, I would recommend going with UCLA. Los Angeles has far nicer weather, although it is more expensive and traffic can be a pain. UCLA EE is more highly regarded in EE than UMD Physics is in Physics. In addition UCLA degrees have better brand value in general, especially internationally or in California if you do not wish to remain in the US or want to work in California upon graduating. In addition, as I said to aluminumfalcon, EE degrees are normally more marketable than physics degrees, because they are more specialized (people with physics degrees normally end up working as engineers or in another related field rather than in physics). This specialization makes it slightly easier to get engineering jobs and boosts starting salary, if you plan on working as an engineer after graduating. The plus side of the physics degree though is that it is slightly more flexible because it isn't specialized and you can get a wider variety of jobs with it.

The weather in LA is better, but the area that UCLA is in is extremely expensive (honestly though you'll probably be so busy as a PhD student that the weather won't be a very big deal so the expense will end up being a more important factor). Traffic is also a nightmare near Westwood and UIUC has a stronger program. The reputation factor will probably make a bigger deal if you plan on seeking employment outside of the US in the future, in the US UIUC's reputation among engineering companies is fine.

UIUC is ranked #4, congrats on your acceptance there even if it isn't Berkley, MIT, or Stanford, it is still a top program (it just isn't as much of a household name) . Honestly with those 3 everything can make a difference, if they wanted to they could probably completely fill their PhD class with people who have perfect gres, gpas and tons of research experience. I'm not sure how much being a US citizen would help at Stanford or MIT honestly, but I can see it helping a lot at Berkley since it is a state school (probably helps even more to be a cali resident, which should be useful for me when reapplying for PhD).

MS wasn't a good idea? Don't some programs have easy transfer methods to PhD from MS though ? For example, from what I remember for GATech, you can transfer to PhD after Masters by passing a qualifying exam, Purdue has easier re-application (3.3 master gpa min and positive recommendation from advisory committee), and UCSD let's you do it if you get the support of a research adviser and pass a qualifying exam. (Didn't apply to PhD because I didn't have the research experience to get into the same programs I've been getting into for masters, I would be very happy to go to one of these schools and continue for PhD). Although robotics is what interest me the most, I was considering CMU's sv campus mainly because I thought being in silicon valley would be a major plus. I didn't apply to Purdue for robotics, but for quantum devices which is also interesting to me and I'm not sure how it is for that program. In terms of support, UCSD gave me a 5k fellowship on top of the already low in-state applicant cost, but honestly I'm more concerned about future PhD prospects than the cost of the masters.

For your case, the MA seems like it would be useful in the long run, but is not necessary in the short run. That means it isn't necessary to rush it, so why not keep your job while getting an MA? This seasons applications are over, but you can keep your job and apply to a distance online MA program for next season, that way you can get your degree and continue to work. There are some very good online MA programs and honestly, a more prestigious MA program is probably only necessary to get a new job, if you are seeking advancement somewhere you are already working then the online degree will probably be valued just as highly.

Purdue by a mile, unless the other schools give you significantly better funding. Unless your adviser at one of the other schools would be far more influential and your research fit there is superior or the other institutes are better for your very specific research topic (Purdue is generally better for most Industrial Engineering, but that isn't always the case).

Hey everyone, I wanted help choosing between universities to attend for Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The choices are UCSD vs USC vs Purdue vs UCLA vs GATech vs Carnegie Mellon (I've only actually been accepted to UCSD and Purdue so far, but need to decide where I'd go in advance so that I can make certain arrangements, but based on the UCSD and Purdue acceptances the others shouldn't be too much of a stretch, especially GATech considering my undergrad institution has a very good relationship with the school). I was personally leaning toward Tech provided I am accepted, but would like others input. Where would you go and why and which program would help you get into the best PhD program? I'm most interested in robotics (CMU would be silicon valley campus, not PA).

Do aerospace or civil engineering if that is your interest, not electrical. All programs in California worth going to are basically top 20 in engineering. UCB is the third highest ranked school in the country, Stanford the second, USC and UCLA somewhere between 10-13, UCSD at 15. UCM,UCSB,UCD, etc are slightly easier to get into and ranked lower, but honestly because they are in cali they are harder to get into than better programs elsewhere. Carnegie Mellon also has a campus in Silicon Valley. For a chance at getting into one of these schools transferring to a top undergrad engineering school would be useful, aim for a gpa of at least 3.5 and quant gre of at least 163 for a moderate chance of getting into one of the masters programs at one of these schools. Aim for at least a 3.75 and 167 with at least 1.5 years of research with an authored paper to have a decent shot at a PhD program. Being a Cali resident helps with the UCs. Do research on the schools because you apply for a specific research focus under the subcategory of electrical engineering, some schools may be highly regarded but not for the type of ee you would be interested in, the closer the research you do is to the program you apply for the more weight it will be given for admissions decisions. Grad school applications are sometimes like pure lottery, some years a professor may not want any students for a specific program regardless of how perfect they are for it so it is best to prepare for rejections. LOR should be obtained from faculty that it is likely professors at the schools you are applying to will know if it is possible to do so. If your stats aren't where you want them to be after college, you can apply to a masters program and try to get into a better PhD program or go direct PhD for lower ranked schools. In fact, some schools allow students to transfer to their PhD program after masters by simply taking qualifying exams which is often easier than reapplying, pay attention to continuation procedures for the schools you apply to if you chose to pursue a masters first.

Pretty much that. Duke and Purdue are closely ranked, with Purdue ranking slightly higher. The ranking difference isn't big enough to make the decision, so make it based on advisory and research type. While the cs programs at the two may be the same, think about the research you want to do, for instance if you wanted to do cs related to hardware programming, Purdue would be a better choice because it has a stronger electrical engineering department that would help with cross departmental research.

Have you considered just applying straight to a PhD program instead of doing a masters? It is longer, but would lead to a salary rise and a lot of the time tuition is covered. There are also many possible PhD/ MBA joint programs.

UCSD has a higher ranked general engineering program, higher ranked mechanical engineering program and a higher engineering research expenditure. UPenn is not more prestigious in engineering......... San Diego would have a much higher quality of life than Pennsylvania, but is more expensive. There are only two reasons I could think of to chose UPenn, which would be if you do not want to be an engineer in the future although you are pursuing an engineering PhD or if you want some type of business degree to compliment your PhD so that you could do something like engineering management. That said, UPenn and UCSD are close in rank, so there may be very specific research focuses within their mechanical engineering groups that one school is much better at and if that is the case, you should determine which school is better for the research you would like to pursue. Regardless of where you go the degree will be useful, UPenn will probably be more highly respected in the east coast while USCD will be more highly respected in the west coast.

I was admitted for masters in Electrical Engineering, need to hear back from other schools before deciding though.

According to gradcatmewswings signature he got into Purdue ECE for PhD, so maybe it was him? I applied there for masters and haven't heard back yet.

GRE: V/Q/A 159/161/4.5 (only took it once, didn't bother taking it again although I did worse than on practice tests) Domestic/International (TOEFL/IELTS): Domestic UG GPA: 3.47 in B.S. in applied physics from Emory Research experience: none University list (I know this is mostly for PhD, but I applied to only masters programs with the exception of Carnegie Mellon and just put this up in case anyone was curious about masters stats all EE programs): UCSD (11/11): USC EE, Carnegie Mellon EE, Virginia Tech, UCLA, UCD, UCI, Purdue, Georgia Tech, UC Merced, University of Florida (Based on the UCSD acceptance, I was being overly pessimistic when I applied, probably should have tried MIT masters and some PhD programs instead of Merced or Davis) Interviews (--/11) || Rejected (--/11) || Accepted (1/11)

I was worried I wouldn't get into any PhD programs directly so ended up applying for only masters programs in EE, but plan on going for a PhD eventually. I got into UCSD which is very good in EE and they even gave me some money. I was wondering how much of a difference where you get a masters would make in PhD acceptances. For example, if I got into Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, or Purdue too, would it make much of a difference if I went to one of them versus UCSD to get into MIT or the like for PhD programs (Getting into Georgia Tech,Carnegie Mellon, or Purdue for a PhD program would be amazing too and I was wondering if it would be easy to get into the PhD program or transfer into it if you start out in their masters program). I heard that in EE international students make up 70 percent of the total number of grad school attendants and was also wondering if that would make it easier for American students to get into graduate schools and to what extent.

I just got into UCSD for a masters in EE. Honestly, even with the bachelors alone, it is probably enough of a safety to get a decent job, it is better to go for what you think will make you happy. That said, the majority of what you've done is EE, not Applied Ocean Science, so make sure it is actually what you like and that you don't have any misconceptions about it. In addition, make sure you actually need the degree to qualify for the types of jobs you would like to do, if you don't then it is probably to pursue something you consider more practical while taking ocean science classes here and there, applying for the jobs you want and using the more practical degree to get a different job if you fail. Honestly, a masters is very short anyway, even if you do it, you can change your mind afterwards and apply directly to EE PhD programs (UCSD is ranked really high in EE, so depending on your gpa, gre, lors/research, you would probably get into some programs).