MS Bioinformatics: Harvard vs GaTech

[mjaeyi]

Hello,

 

I was hoping someone could help me make a decision between the two. My future aspiration is get a job in the industry doing work related to Biomedical Informatics (personalized medication, drug discovery, etc...).

 

Harvard is a more traditional masters program that is in its second year. They are more research oriented and academically on a higher standard. GaTech is a professional masters that is supposedly the longest running program in the nation. They focus more on internships and CO-OP opportunities.

 

I have a couple of concerns for each program and was wondering if someone could shed some light.

 

1) Being a Georgia Resident, GaTech is by far the best financial option for me. They even have a Computational Biology faculty award that can be applied for after the first semester. Harvard seem to have very little funding and I have had some difficulty finding external scholarships. I know that financial aspects are not everything for a good education but is it worth taking out such a large loan? Is the job prospective good with high enough incomes that I could pay back such a loan?

 

2) Are research heavy programs easier to get a job? I know that Harvard has intensive research requirements for its programs. However, GaTech, being a PSM, seems to stress CO-OPs and internships more. Regardless of which program I decide, I plan on doing research so which would be more beneficial and have more opportunities?

 

Thanks in advance!