Duke vs UIUC for MS in Data Science

[TheConquerer]

Hello guys, 

Iam a 2018 MS in Data Science aspirant, and have received admission offer from UIUC and Duke University. Based on the following points, can you share your thoughts on which university should I finalize:

1. The program at UIUC is "MS in Statistics with a concentration in Analytics", offered by the Department of Statistics, and the Duke program is "MS in interdisciplinary Data Science", offered by Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) and Information Initiative at Duke (IID).

2. Curriculum wise, I like both the programs equally well. The only difference is that the Duke's program offers greater flexibility and includes a capstone project during second year of Masters.

3. The UIUC program is an established, old program. On the other hand, Duke's program would have it's inaugural class in Fall 2018.

4. Both the programs are 2 years long. The total tuition fees for UIUC would be $55000, whereas at Duke it would be $94300.

5. The class size at Duke would be 30-35 students, compared to 60-70 students at UIUC.

[TheMostPowerfulApplicant]

I would pick UIUC because they have strong computer science and engineering. Plus it is much cheaper.

Edited April 14, 2018 by TheMostPowerfulApplicant