Duke vs NCSU for MS in ECE/Comp. Engg

[AnanjayaTyagi]

Hello everyone, 

I have received admits from both DUke and NCSU. In Duke I have been offered MS in ECE whose cost is $77,000 for one academic year but the program rank is in top 20's according to USNEWS. The other admit is from NCSU for MS in Computer Engineering. Now, though the rank of the program is in top 40's but the program cost is $45,000 ish. Living expenses are similar due to them being close to each other.

I am in a dilemma, whether to go for the better program with high cost, for which I will be taking loans or to go for the low price and okayish program. 

Also, Duke has a very strong alumnus and reputation. It's ECE program offers various software courses of my interest. 

My question basically is that which University is better in terms of placement? In which University will I get better returns?(keeping in mind the cost of the programs)

If you guys have more points that I should take into consideration, kindly feel free to post it. 

 

Thank you

Edited March 24, 2019 by AnanjayaTyagi
Changing technicalities

[DiscoTech]

27 minutes ago, AnanjayaTyagi said:

Hello everyone, 

I have received admits from both DUke and NCSU. In Duke I have been offered MS in ECE whose cost is $77,000 for one academic year but the program rank is 20th according to USNEWS. The other admit is from NCSU for MS in Computer Engineering. Now, though the rank of the program is 40 but the program cost is $45,000 ish. Living expenses are similar due to them being close to each other.

I am in a dilemma, whether to go for the better program with high cost, for which I will be taking loans or to go for the low price and okayish program. 

Also, Duke has a very strong alumnus and reputation. It's ECE program offers various software courses of my interest. 

My question basically is that which University is better in terms of placement? In which University will I get better returns?(keeping in mind the cost of the programs)

If you guys have more points that I should take into consideration, kindly feel free to post it. 

 

Thank you

Rankings are a dumb thing to factor into your thinking becauae for rankings that low (outside top 8-10) there is very little separating the schools. Rankings in a discipline are based on a reputation survey. In 2019, the difference between Duke and NCSU, in terms of the stupid reputation score, was 0.2 (3.7 v. 3.5).

For meaningful data, go here - (http://profiles.asee.org) or here (https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2017/html/herd2017_dst_55.html).

[Entangled Phantoms]

1 hour ago, AnanjayaTyagi said:

Hello everyone, 

I have received admits from both DUke and NCSU. In Duke I have been offered MS in ECE whose cost is $77,000 for one academic year but the program rank is in top 20's according to USNEWS. The other admit is from NCSU for MS in Computer Engineering. Now, though the rank of the program is in top 40's but the program cost is $45,000 ish. Living expenses are similar due to them being close to each other.

I am in a dilemma, whether to go for the better program with high cost, for which I will be taking loans or to go for the low price and okayish program. 

Also, Duke has a very strong alumnus and reputation. It's ECE program offers various software courses of my interest. 

My question basically is that which University is better in terms of placement? In which University will I get better returns?(keeping in mind the cost of the programs)

If you guys have more points that I should take into consideration, kindly feel free to post it. 

 

Thank you

If you are going to pay that much money out of picket for a degree, you should demand placement data from both programs. That should answer your question. If they both dont keep placement data, I would recommend not going to either. 

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

7 hours ago, AnanjayaTyagi said:

Hello everyone, 

I have received admits from both DUke and NCSU. In Duke I have been offered MS in ECE whose cost is $77,000 for one academic year but the program rank is in top 20's according to USNEWS. The other admit is from NCSU for MS in Computer Engineering. Now, though the rank of the program is in top 40's but the program cost is $45,000 ish. Living expenses are similar due to them being close to each other.

I am in a dilemma, whether to go for the better program with high cost, for which I will be taking loans or to go for the low price and okayish program. 

Also, Duke has a very strong alumnus and reputation. It's ECE program offers various software courses of my interest. 

My question basically is that which University is better in terms of placement? In which University will I get better returns?(keeping in mind the cost of the programs)

If you guys have more points that I should take into consideration, kindly feel free to post it. 

 

Thank you

WOLFPACK! I went to NCSU for my undergrad, so I am very biased. Like the people said above, ranking is not super important, especially since both schools are good. I will say that NCSU has a higher rep in engineering compared to Duke in my opinion. Nonetheless, I think what's important to think about is what place that will make you the happiest. Durham and Raleigh both have different feelings. Cost is also very important, especially since there is such a huge difference between the two. Would it be worth it to pay the large amount at Duke?

Edited March 24, 2019 by IceCream & MatSci

[DiscoTech]

1 hour ago, IceCream & MatSci said:

Cost is also very important, especially since there is such a huge difference between the two. Would it be worth it to pay the large amount at Duke?

Assuming OP's loan doesn't have a bonkers interest rate, the cost differential, spread over a 20-40 year career, is not all that much.

As far as reputation goes, there is nothing to suggest NCSU is more highly regarded than Duke in ECE. Rankings from US News are garbage, but they are an indicator of program reputation. Duke > NCSU ever so slightly. All things being equal, I would choose Duke simply because many states in the US are putting their universities systems under financial strain to the point where they will continue to fall behind their private counterparts. Duke is likely the better long term bet.

[Curious questioner]

Congratulations on being accepted to both, and being able to make the choice.  Assuming you have no strong connections to / feelings about either, I would definitely say NCSU.  When you apply for a job, nobody really cares about the ranking of the program or the university, as long as the school has an acceptable reputation.  Employers want to know if you can do the job they are hiring you to do. 

Ask yourself how many years you want to be saddled with student debt.  It has become a crisis for many college graduates.  You can go to the very fine NCSU program and pay for the entire program with less $ than the cost of one year at Duke.  Let that soak in.  Are you interested in buying a home in the future?  In having expendable income for vacations, etc.?  Going into debt for purposes of prestige of a program makes literally no sense.  Just my two cents, so no haters, please.

Edited March 24, 2019 by Curious questioner

[DiscoTech]

29 minutes ago, Curious questioner said:

When you apply for a job, nobody really cares about the ranking of the program or the university, as long as the school has an acceptable reputation.  Employers want to know if you can do the job they are hiring you to do.

This is a very naive view of how hiring works. Do they care about the US News ranking of your school? No. But do they have a sense for which programs are a cut above others. Sure. A lot of companies, especially for their select openings (like within their research arms), do not bother actively recruiting candidates outside the top 4-5 schools. Unless you can totally blow away the competition with a world-beating CV, you are not going to get called in for an interview over the candidates these employers already met at campus events. With just an MS, that is a hard thing to do.

At the interview stage and beyond, where you went to school matters much less. The trick is getting that interview.

That said, I do not know that there is that much of a difference between Duke and NCSU. I'd look up placement data for their MS graduates. I suspect they are not terribly different. 

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

6 hours ago, DiscoTech said:

Assuming OP's loan doesn't have a bonkers interest rate, the cost differential, spread over a 20-40 year career, is not all that much.

I kind of disagree with this. Interest rate can make things add up quickly, even if the loan amount is low. I have a decent amount of student loan debt and I think I got lucky because I know people who have way more than me and will have to take longer to pay it off, but I still am completely overwhelmed by it. Debt can really affect your future, especially if you want to buy a house and start a family, which can be costly. Also, it wouldn't be that great to have to pay off debt until you are 60 or 70. Just my opinion, though.

@AnanjayaTyagi So, I am suspecting the Master's program will be two years. So, for the cost of Duke, two years will be $154,000. At NC State, it will cost $90,000. So, NC State is technically and approximately $64,000 "cheaper" in that sense. However, cost is definitely not the only determinant. When I looked at the two places I was accepted to, I compared them based on these things:

1.Location. Do you like the feel of the university and the town/city it is in? What is the cost of living? Is it affordable? Interestingly, these two places are not far from each other, but they do have different vibes about them.

2. Cost. As discussed above, cost can take a toll. I don't know your financial situation, but tuition/cost of attendance is not the only cost you will accrue when you are getting your Master's. There is rent, utilities, food, health insurance, transportation (and possibly care maintenance with that), renters insurance, etc. It will add up over time. You just need to figure out if you can afford Duke over NC State. What kind of job do you want after your Master's? Do you want to go into industry? Or get a PhD and postdoc? If you go into industry, paying off the debt will be quicker.

3. Classes. You seem to like the classes offered at Duke more. Compare the two on the classes you will have to take.

4. Research advisor/projects. Do you see yourself working with someone at either university? Is there a person you prefer more?

5. Assistantship opportunities. Do any of the places offer research or teaching assistantships to help cover the cost of attendance and/or living costs?

Also, I am not sure if you have visited either schools, so I will tell you what I know about NC State since I was there for four years. It has three campuses. Main campus has most colleges. Centennial campus has all engineering departments except nuclear. The third campus is the vet school. They are all about a few minutes away from each other, with the main campus in the middle. What I miss a lot about NC State is Lake Raleigh, which is located on centennial campus. Whenever I was stressed, I would take a walk to the lake and just chill out there until I felt better. Centennial campus is fairly small compared to Main, but it also is nice to get away from the big crowds of students. It definitely makes collaborating and going to classes easy. There is only graduate housing on centennial. The bus system is fairly reliable and goes to many places in and around the campuses. NC State has a lot of school spirit! Screaming "wolfpack" is a big thing there. Also, if you love ice cream, then NC State might be your place. They make their own ice cream, and it is sold allover the campuses (in the mini school grocery stores, the libraries, and even local Harris Teeters). Raleigh is a really cool place with lots to do -- concerts, activities, bars, restaurants, clubs, an arboretum, and museums (the science museum is super cool and free!).

Honestly, this is a really hard discussion, but congrats on getting into two wonderful schools. Both schools are great, and located in the Research Triangle, which has many companies in various industries. I hope this helps and good luck!

[thecodemachine]

4 hours ago, DiscoTech said:

This is a very naive view of how hiring works. Do they care about the US News ranking of your school? No. But do they have a sense for which programs are a cut above others. Sure. A lot of companies, especially for their select openings (like within their research arms), do not bother actively recruiting candidates outside the top 4-5 schools. Unless you can totally blow away the competition with a world-beating CV, you are not going to get called in for an interview over the candidates these employers already met at campus events. With just an MS, that is a hard thing to do.

This is true. Through creative internal networking, I've gotten many interviews for the select research teams with a math degree from generic average ranked school. But I've never closed an offer. And it's always an uphill battle convincing them I'm worthy of their super special teams. A very frustrating 3 years. They definitely didn't recruit me, I had to hustle. Even with my hustle, I gave up after a few years of trying to join the elite internal teams. Now I'm admitted to the #1 school for comp sci so I guess I was made for bigger and better things than those jobs  

The outcomes data for schools is available through a google search. 

Edited March 25, 2019 by thecodemachine