BME: M.S. UC Davis vs. MEng at Duke

[gkizzle3622]

Hey guys,

I have been admitted to my two top BME programs so far:

MEng at Duke University (cost is ~40k for 18 months)

M.S. at UC Davis with funding and stipend (24 months)

I'm about 99% sure I don't want to get a PhD so I plan on going into the industry right away. I have done quite a bit of research but don't want to conduct research long-term (I'd rather go into management/consulting).

My dilemma is that Duke is a much higher ranked school in terms of their BME program than UC Davis (4th vs 22nd). I'm not sure if this includes the MEng program since it is run by Duke Graduate School rather than the Pratt School of Engineering. On the other hand, UC Davis is very well connected with biomed companies on the west coast as well as it would be funded. I was hoping you guys could weigh in on this decision in helping me determine which one would be a better choice long-term for a job in the industry. What are your thoughts/recommendations?

Thanks!

Edited March 7, 2012 by gkizzle3622

[ghanada]

If you want to stay around cali to work, especially norcal, than I think UC Davis is pretty solid and a good bet. If you want more flexibility and are open to potentially working anywhere in the country, I think Duke has a more universally recognized name. However, $40k of debt would definitely suck and I don't necessarily think Duke is worth the extra cost.

[violinist21]

May I ask what your GRE scores were and what background you had when you applied? (trying to decide if I can either think about applying to these schools.) Thanks!