Columbia MS& E or Delaware PhD

[spaul]

Hi Folks,

The admission decisions have started to come in and thankfully I got admission into more than one programs. I have got admission into MS program in Columbia university Management Science and Engineering course which is a collaboration between Columbia IEOR department and Columbia Business School and another one is MS+PhD program in Computer Engineering in Delaware University with specialization in requirements engineering.

Let me give few details about my background. I have a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and then I worked in the software industry for almost 9 years as a software developer and later as a quality engineer for software product based company Adobe Systems, Calif. At this junction, I have two career paths:

1. Either join the Financial industry or consulting jobs in New York

2. Taking the path of Software Quality Jobs in California

I am not sure whether the Columbia MS & E course is suitable for getting into the Finance domain since I do not have prior experience working in the Financial Industry. Or is there Columbia MS & E can land me in a program/product management job in the software product based companies? On the other hand, I would like to know whether a Phd in requirements engineering is worth getting a job in the product based companies like Microsoft, Adobe etc.

For Columbia, I have to pay the huge tuition fee from my pocket whereas in Delaware, I am getting full scholarship.

I am totally undecided between these two choices. Can anyone put their thoughts across for a better career choice for me?

Thanks,

SP