Duke vs UT Austin - Biomedical Engineering

[Huntsman]

I have been accepted into both schools Master's programs in Biomedical Engineering (at Texas it is ECE w/ a focus of BME) but haven't been offered funding for either. I don't expect that I will be as I am only a Master's candidate, and my background is not in BME. I am leaning towards attending Texas just from a financial standpoint, but I am really struggling with saying no to a program like Duke. I will probably never have a chance to attend as prestigious of a program again, but I can't seem to justify its cost compared to UT when both programs are very well regarded.

 

Is there anyone out there famialiar with either program and can give me some advice? Is Duke really worth the money? What is a reasonable amount of debt to incur to get a Master's from one of these two institutions?

 

Congrats to everone reading in this forum! We got in!!!

[jeffleung1992]

I think you should consider a number of other factors as well. For example, if your ultimate goal is PhD or not. If it is, then you have to consider if either school will have PIs that would be willing to hire you as an RA during your MS and then potentially back your application for PhD admissions.

 

On the other hand, if you want to go to industry, then you should consider which school helps place candidates at companies that you would like to work for.

 

Finally, you need to consider how different the cost really is for the two programs. Duke is a very prestigious BME program, and if you have classes there that you think will help you and/or research opportunities that you can leverage, and finally if it is not too much more expensive (something you have to determine) then that is a better pick. However, if UT has the same opportunities and you don't care about doing a PhD, and it is cheaper and gets you similar job opportunities, then UT is better.

 

Hope this helps. 

 

Congratulations btw on your acceptances, and best wishes!  

Edited March 19, 2014 by jeffleung1992

[Huntsman]

Thanks for the reply, it definitely helps.

 

You kind of hit the root of my problem in that I am not fully commited to whether I want to pursue a PhD or go into industry after my Master's. As of now, I am leaning towards stopping at a Masters degree, but I am still new to the BME field and haven't had a chance to conduct any of my own research, so it is possible that if I find a niche I like then I will want to continue on with my education.

 

I will definitely look more into the job placements af graduates of the programs, as well as the specific courses, PI's and research going on at each institution. I was hesitant to get into contact with any potential PI's before being accepted into a program, but now that I am in is it ok to email certain professors and ask about their research and potential opportunities there might be if I choose to attend there?

[jeffleung1992]

I certainly think it's a good idea to contact PIs you're interested in. It might be the case that your first semester you work for them for course credit or for free and prove yourself and once they know you're good, they are more inclined to fund you (especially if you make the case that you intend to stay with them for PhD). I think a PI is more likely to respond to your inquiries now since you're already admitted (and hence in some sense already vetted by the school).

[PhDerp]

Also, if you get a chance, visit the areas!! They're very different life-experiences. Both will have their ups and downs.

[Huntsman]

I wish I had the opportunity to do that! But, I am currently working an internship in the Bay Area so getting there before the April 15th deadline isn't going to be possible. Hopefully if I can get into contact with a potential PI and maybe I can talk with some of his/her current students about what life is like there, both the city, and working in the department.

[kcyc]

Are you 100% committed to do bioE? Duke is only strong in bioE whereas UT is strong in engineering across the board. So if u want to switch specialty, UT is definitely the better choice. Also ECE job market and pay is better than bioE, so unless you're 100% committed to BioE, go for UT.

Edited March 21, 2014 by kcyc