Decision between CMU MHCI and UW HCDE

[waternam]

Hi,

First time posting here.
I am trying to decide between CMU MCHI and UW HCDE. (HCI MS programs)

I will be an international student seeking eventual employment in the states (hopefully at a prominent IT company).
I have nearly 6 years of work experience as a UX Designer/Project Manager in major IT companies in my home country.
I am seeking to add on to my existing experience and knowledge, mostly in user research, testing and some basic coding.

With the conditions above can anybody help me determine which program might be a better fit for me?

A few concerns I have based on what I found concerning the two programs are as follows
- CMU MHCI does not provide time for internships
- UW HCDE class size is big (100+) and provides courses mostly in the evening (what am I supposed to do in the day time?)
- CMU MHCI has a large core set of courses and less elective choices than UW HCDE
- CMU MHCI is too hurried and intensive

There are definitely more variables I am not listing here but it would be helpful if anybody could let me know if my concerns are not really problematic or if I am missing anything in evaluating the two programs.

Would very much appreciate your opinion.

Edited March 17, 2020 by waternam

[Ascender]

Congrats for your admits! Since you have a significant amount of relevant work experience, the internship variable may be less critical, though I agree that getting an internship (and potentially getting a return offer) will be easier than directly applying for full-time positions. I am admitted to both programs as well, and I think it really depends on what kind of experience you want to get out of the program, for example:

• Intense learning (a lot of pressure, stay up late) vs. Spaced-out Learning (more at ease, but could end up wasting time if one is not disciplined or dedicated enough)
• Seattle vs. Pittsburgh. Though finding a job after graduation will not be a big problem for either program, I would say Seattle has more prominent IT companies to work for (and has a better overall living experience—with higher cost of living for sure). 
• Though CMU’s courses are very project-based, they often have to rush through most of them with several projects going on at the same time. So if you care about the quality of work you can produce, CMU is probably not a good choice. Yes you might also encounter frustrations collaborating with part-time students at HCDE, but it allows more time for you to improve it.
• And as I heard from one of the CMU alumni, there will be a strong emphasis on selling products (lots of presentations & pitches) and less so on actual craft. This might add another perspective to your decision-making.
• One more thing for CMU: you probably have to look for a job while working on your capstone project, so the project may not in support of your job-seeking (as a lot of people might have expected). 

Hope it helps.

[Ascender]

1 minute ago, Ascender said:

Congrats for your admits! Since you have a significant amount of relevant work experience, the internship variable may be less critical, though I agree that getting an internship (and potentially getting a return offer) will be easier than directly applying for full-time positions. I am admitted to both programs as well, and I think it really depends on what kind of experience you want to get out of the program, for example:

• Intense learning (a lot of pressure, stay up late) vs. Spaced-out Learning (more at ease, but could end up wasting time if one is not disciplined or dedicated enough)
• Seattle vs. Pittsburgh. Though finding a job after graduation will not be a big problem for either program, I would say Seattle has more prominent IT companies to work for (and has a better overall living experience—with higher cost of living for sure). 
• Though CMU’s courses are very project-based, they often have to rush through most of them with several projects going on at the same time. So if you care about the quality of work you can produce, CMU is probably not a good choice. Yes you might also encounter frustrations collaborating with part-time students at HCDE, but it allows more time for you to improve it.
• And as I heard from one of the CMU alumni, there will be a strong emphasis on selling products (lots of presentations & pitches) and less so on actual craft. This might add another perspective to your decision-making.
• One more thing for CMU: you probably have to look for a job while working on your capstone project, so the project may not in support of your job-seeking (as a lot of people might have expected). 

Hope it helps.

With all these said, if I have to give a verdict, I would say CMU is better for the overall prestige and strong networks (especially in the valley) given your abundant experience—if you can make it through and work hard. However, there will be a lot of personal preferences going on when you are trying to make a tough decision like this (both are top programs!), so it depends on what you like and what you wanna get out of the program. And often times a lot of the pros/cons here exist only theoretically, since a person can thrive in an adverse situation as well as corrupt in an advantageous one. Given same resources different people will have different outcome.

[waternam]

20 hours ago, Ascender said:

Congrats for your admits! Since you have a significant amount of relevant work experience, the internship variable may be less critical, though I agree that getting an internship (and potentially getting a return offer) will be easier than directly applying for full-time positions. I am admitted to both programs as well, and I think it really depends on what kind of experience you want to get out of the program, for example:

• Intense learning (a lot of pressure, stay up late) vs. Spaced-out Learning (more at ease, but could end up wasting time if one is not disciplined or dedicated enough)
• Seattle vs. Pittsburgh. Though finding a job after graduation will not be a big problem for either program, I would say Seattle has more prominent IT companies to work for (and has a better overall living experience—with higher cost of living for sure). 
• Though CMU’s courses are very project-based, they often have to rush through most of them with several projects going on at the same time. So if you care about the quality of work you can produce, CMU is probably not a good choice. Yes you might also encounter frustrations collaborating with part-time students at HCDE, but it allows more time for you to improve it.
• And as I heard from one of the CMU alumni, there will be a strong emphasis on selling products (lots of presentations & pitches) and less so on actual craft. This might add another perspective to your decision-making.
• One more thing for CMU: you probably have to look for a job while working on your capstone project, so the project may not in support of your job-seeking (as a lot of people might have expected). 

Hope it helps.

Thank you for making the time to write a detailed comparison between the two programs. Congratulations to you too for your admits!
I think you make good honest points about the program, especially about the issue of self discipline. (lol)

I didn't factor in the living costs when comparing the costs of attending CMU and UW (as UW HCDE is 55% of the tuition cost of CMU MHCI)

And I'm not that great in selling my ideas in front of an audience, so it might be a good skill to gain from the program.

Concerning the employment opportunities, I heard that much of the clients in the capstone project are willing to hire students from the participating teams, however, the projects are assigned randomly and is really not a dependable option if you are seeking employment in a specific industry or company.

20 hours ago, Ascender said:

With all these said, if I have to give a verdict, I would say CMU is better for the overall prestige and strong networks (especially in the valley) given your abundant experience—if you can make it through and work hard. However, there will be a lot of personal preferences going on when you are trying to make a tough decision like this (both are top programs!), so it depends on what you like and what you wanna get out of the program. And often times a lot of the pros/cons here exist only theoretically, since a person can thrive in an adverse situation as well as corrupt in an advantageous one. Given same resources different people will have different outcome.

Thank you for your honest opinion, I think that's the same reason why I am considering attending CMU more than UW HCDE.
The problem I am still thinking over is just the eventual ROI and costs (CMU MHCI $72,000 vs UW HCDE $40,000 for the entire duration of the program)

Again thank you for making the time to help out with my decision.

We may end up being in the same cohort!