Berkeley vs. MIT Masters in Geotechnical Engineering

[Decision]

I am trying to make a decision between a MS in UC Berkeley and MEng in MIT.

Both programs have similar tuition and are 8 month programs.

I am thinking of doing geotechnical engineering and maybe with focus on earthquake and I am interested in working in the states or international in the future.

I know Berkeley has strong earthquake programs, but the wow factor with MIT is making the decision very different for me. 

Since I am interested in working overseas, I feel the name associated with MIT is also a considering factor.

Could you guys give me some insights regarding the job prospects from both schools and whether if Berkeley is also a recognizable brand internationally?

Thanks a bunch!

[GuywithPants]

MIT is definitely more "globally" renowned. If you're looking for prestige, i'd say MIT would be the better choice. That's not to say that Berkeley isn't known for being great. I'm from the middle east, and every engineering company here is not only familiar with Berkeley, but they also highly value its graduates. As for the programs, I'm not sure but I suppose they're on equal footing, with Berkeley possibly being the better candidate for civil engineering. Berkeley is after all the best public university in the US with the number 1 Civil Engineering program (US News and Reports). MIT is all-around better and I think the number 1 university worldwide, but from what I've heard, it's more technology/software oriented than Berkeley.

So it all depends on what you want. If you want a very highly prestigious university which would make heads turn everywhere in the world, go for MIT. If you want a possibly (i'm not sure) better program from a less prestigious, yet still very highly regarded university, go for Berkeley.

EDIT: No matter what you choose, those are both top universities, and I congratulate you for being accepted into both of them. You can't really choose wrong with these two, you're basically choosing between "awesome" and "amazing", so don't worry too much.

Edited April 11, 2016 by GuywithPants