EE@Rose Hulman vs. CS@Alberta, which will you choose?

[superziyi]

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on choosing between the master program in Electrical Engineering at Rose Hulman and computer science in Alberta.

I consider them to be my final choices because they offer me financial aid: Alberta offers full financial support and Rose has tuition waived.

Although Rose is noname on master level engineering, it is still industry-oriented and it seems the master program is kind of similar to its undergraduate education. While Alberta in Canada is strong in CS research and the overall reputation is much higher, especially for me as an international student who may come back home one day.

Both seems good for me to learn some real stuff and see outside world, plus, I prefer working in industry to doing research and I am fine with both two areas. Do you have any suggestions on both short and long term development? What will you choose?

Thanks a lot for any meaningful input!

Edited March 24, 2011 by superziyi

[Machine_Learner]

What area in Cs are you interested in?

[superziyi]

What area in Cs are you interested in?

Well, I am not quite sure about paticular area, actually I major in Telecommunication during my undergraduate study so my understanding and skills of computer science is quite lacking...

But I heard that for industry job seekers, algorithms and coding abilities are more important, regardless of what areas you study as a graudate student.

And for the Electrical Engineering field, I would say I may pursue the embedded system and MCU design and development. Maybe I should compare the prospects of these two areas in career development:

embedded system development vs. upper-layer application software development, which most CSer do after graduation?

[adinutzyc]

Alberta. Better school with better funding. Why go with no name and pay for your education (well, at least for living expenses and my guess is taxes)?

Is Aberta's MS a research oriented MS? I think the most appropriate name is thesis MS vs coursework MS. If it is not, then pick Alberta. Otherwise, you can still consider both options... though I have never heard of the other school...

[superziyi]

Alberta. Better school with better funding. Why go with no name and pay for your education (well, at least for living expenses and my guess is taxes)?

Is Aberta's MS a research oriented MS? I think the most appropriate name is thesis MS vs coursework MS. If it is not, then pick Alberta. Otherwise, you can still consider both options... though I have never heard of the other school...

Thank you very much on your advice!

Reputation is really an issue, though Rose Hulman is ranked No.1 engineering school among US universities without a PhD according to US News, the name recognition is still faint.

Alberta requires fininshing a thesis before graduation and the financial aid for second-year master is RA by doing research in labs, which means internship is not common for the thesis master. But still, one can find a job after graduation, if one sticks to staying in Canada and tries his best.

[Machine_Learner]

Alberta does seem like a better option. But, it would be wise to talk to grad students at both schools. Find out what really has been the placement scene at both schools.

On first look, it seems Alberta would be better. But, jobs in Canada are not easy to find. Very few opportunities exist in the province of Alberta. You would have to move south to IBM and other such recruiters.