Berkeley vs. UNC: MS in Biostatistics

[bookworm45]

I was recently accepted to the Berkeley's MA in Biostatistics and UNC's MS in Biostatistics. I am conflicted between the two-- Berkeley is the best public school in the nation while UNC has the #4 Biostatistics program and the #2 public health school. At this point, I am considering continuing on for a PhD after my Master's but this is something I won't be sure about until I begin the program.

In calculating tuition (assuming that I do not get an assistantship at any point at either of the schools), Berkeley comes out to $50k while UNC comes out to $57k. After factoring in rent based on an average price, Berkeley comes out to about $94k while UNC totals at $75k.

I am drawn to Berkeley because of its name and location; I have lived in a small college town for the past 5 years and was hoping to move to a busier city. Additionally, Berkeley stated in their acceptance letter than most students are able to secure an assistantship at some point. Finally, I have learned from current students that most students who wish to continue on for a PhD have the opportunity to do so.

One main advantage of UNC is that the program is bigger; UNC has an incoming cohort of 11-20 students while Berkeley has 7-8 students. UNC has more professors in Biostats than Berkeley. This is especially important if I continue on for a PhD, in which case I will have more research areas to choose from. I would be much more interested in applied research rather than theoretical research-- In which case I believe UNC is a better fit.

If I decide to finish with a Master's I am unsure of which school would be better. In that case, does the name of the school matter or the rank of the program? If I decide to continue on for a PhD, I am almost sure that UNC is a better choice-- due to rank, diversity in research, etc. But I would appreciate thoughts on that as well.

[GoPackGo89]

I am not convinced that a masters from UNC is superior to a masters from Berkeley when it comes to continuing on to a PhD (unless you mean going straight from your masters program to the PhD program at the same school). If you were to stop after a masters I think it would be more about do you want to start a career in the research triangle vs California. If you haven't already,  @Severina is knowledgeable about Berkeleys biostats. 

 

[bookworm45]

I do mean continuing on for a PhD at the same school. 

Thanks for the input!