Berkeley IEOR MEng vs NYU MS in Data Science

[MickVanMyke]

I (international student) got accepted into these two programs, which are quite different, but I believe both could lead me to a good position as a data scientist, in the US preferably. I am struggling to make a decision.

On the one hand, NYU's 2-year Master is a top-10 program in the subject that would allow me to dive deep into data science core subjects as well as to do an internship during the summer. I feel that I would learn a lot in this program, get to know a commnity that is doing cutting edge work on the field and, hopefully, access good job opportunities The program is expensive, though, and I have not received any financial support.

On the other hand, Berkeley's 1-year program combines technical courses with business-oriented topics. This means there will be considerably less time to invest in pure data science work. IEOR is a very broad area but ideally I would specialize on analytics, which could get me closer to the kind of jobs I want. I know MEng alumni have pursued careers in data science and similar positions before. Of course, this program has Berkeley's amazing prestige and faculty behind it, plus a lot of networking oppportunities. Besides, it will be significantly less expensive than NYU's MS, since this is a one year program and I have been awarded a $16k grant.

Any thoughts on making a decision? Thank you!