Best advice I can give you if you don't want to get your PhD, know SAS well. 90% of the jobs out there require you know SAS and the better you are at it, the easier it will be to get a job. If you can, learn how to use R as well, but I think R is easier to learn if you have some programming experience.
If your program doesn't teach SAS, learn it on your own. Spending time on that will only be a benefit to you.
I live in LA, but I've heard a lot of good things about MN. Trying to get more funding from UMN, but still won't be enough to match cost of going to UCLA. Minnesota seems to be a better program, but I went to UCLA and live next to UCLA, so is it worth it to go out of state?