Hi, I am a ME student that has been accepted to several Masters programs for mechanical engineering and robotics. I plan to work after my Masters in the robotics industry. The schools that I am having a hard time deciding between are…
UC Berkeley M.Eng in Mechanical Engineering with Concentration in Experiential Advanced Control Systems - 1year degree
UPenn MSE in Robotics - 2year degree
UMich MS in Robotics - 2year degree
Columbia University MS in Mechanical Engineering with Concentration in Robotics - 1-1.5year degree
Basically, the problem that I have deciding between these degrees are
- Money - For Cal, I received a $30000 fellowship which would make tuition cost about $20000. I was admitted to the other programs without any aid so I would have to pay the tuition in full. UPenn - Tuition Costs - $70000 Umich - Tuition Costs - $100000 (I think?) CU - Cost of Attendance - $80000
- M.Eng vs MS - I'm not sure whether or not I want a PhD in the future but I definitely want to work after my Masters. I understand that if I get a MEng degree, my prospects of becoming a PhD candidate in the future decrease whereas for an MS degree it's the opposite.
- Depth of Knowledge - If I were to attend Cal, I would become very specialized with control systems which is a quintessential component of robotics but I have always wanted to learn the other disciplines of robotics as well. If I were to attend Umich or Upenn, their curriculums include courses in machine vision, machine learning, embedded software, etc. Essentially, these two year degrees would give me a much more broad spectrum of knowledge in the field of robotics.
Overall, I think if money wasn’t an issue, I would definitely attend either UPenn or UMich because I greatly wish to learn all aspects of robotics and it would nice to have the possibility of pursuing a PhD if I ever decided to. As a low-income first generation student though, I feel very pressured to take Cal’s offer due to the low cost of attendance despite learning less.
Do you guys think the debt is worth gaining an education that I most desire? I guess technically the debt is only a year and halfs worth of salary. Please share your thoughts and give me some much needed advice! Thank you.