<p>I’ve been recently admitted into Stanford University’s Masters program in Music, Science, and Technology, where the focus will be on Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics. </p>
<p>I know that Stanford is a great school, but how does their program compare to Dartmouth’s Masters program in Electro Acoustic Music? Or Browns program in music engineering/technology.</p>
<p>I applied to all these schools and Stanford is the first place i’ve heard from so far. Things to consider are Stanfords masters program is one year, with no financial support from the university. They help with funding for the Phd program tho.</p>
<p>Dartmouth funds the masters program, but it is two years.</p>
<p>To say “Stanford is better at everything” is incredibly misleading. </p>
<p>I have a close friend who went through Dartmouth’s MBA program (he was a Princeton undergrad) and found it fantastic. He is a top marketing executive now, and has been for several years.</p>
<p>I’d say try to get a feel for each program - talk to graduates, industry professionals, visit the campuses, see how it feels to you - and then make your decision. </p>
<p>What will your professional options be upon graduation? If you have a substantial bill to repay, then this may be key. How are the internships in each respective program? Will you have chances to make substantial industry contacts? What is the starting salary in the field you hope to go into? Lots to consider. Don’t be swayed by blanket statements.</p>
<p>As a former music major, believe me, figuring out what you are going to do after your degree is incredibly important.</p>
<p>Are you kidding me? Stanford’s MBA program is way way way better than that of Dartmouth. Your friend’s “fantastic” experience does really mean anything in disproving my argument. I stand by previous statement; Stanford is better than Dartmouth, Brown, and the rest of the lesser ivies at everything.</p>
<p>I just sort of happened by this thread. I am pretty old, I have a graduate degree from Stanford, and my sister and numerous younger cousins were undergrads there. My son is applying this year.</p>
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<li><p>There is no university anywhere in the world that is better than every other university at everything. Stanford is a great university, but that doesn’t tell you anything about its Master’s Program in Music, Science and Technology, which I can guarantee is a comparative backwater in the vast enterprise that is Stanford. It may be the greatest program ever; it may be nothing but window dressing; it may be someone’s bright idea that is just getting off the ground. Ditto the programs at Dartmouth and Brown. For something this specialized, the general university brand doesn’t tell you much at all about quality.</p></li>
<li><p>Stanford’s business school is very highly rated, of course. But The Wall St. Journal has its own idiosyncratic rating system for MBA programs, and the system is pretty well thought out. (It depends on reporters doing a lot of work asking questions of high-level corporate people who make decisions on hiring freshly minted MBAs, so it’s hard for anyone but the WSJ to replicate.) Anyway, since the WSJ started doing this some years ago Dartmouth’s Tuck School has consistently outranked Stanford in that system (and about every other year outranks everybody). Does that mean Tuck is “better” than Stanford? Maybe so, maybe no, but it sure means that Tuck has something to say for itself.</p></li>
<li><p>Stanford has much stronger, and more extensive, engineering programs compared to Dartmouth and Brown. None of them is especially well known for music. (There are dozens of schools with better music programs than Stanford. Maybe more.) It’s hard to say what any of that means for a music/tech program. At Stanford, it could mean fabulous access to the Greatest Minds In Technology (including those not on the Stanford faculty, but having power breakfasts on University Ave. in Palo Alto), or it could mean being the ■■■■■■■ stepchild in a school where no one gives a crap.</p></li>
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<p>Saying a school has a bad music program is like saying their yoga or basket weaving courses are subpar; no one really cares. Also, Stanford’s b-school blows tuck outta the water.</p>
<p>interestingly, electronic music happens to be an area brown is unusually strong in (as are harvard and MIT). i’m not sure about stanford, but i think dartmouth is pretty limited in this area</p>
<p>actually, the OP, I think, has done her/his homework and knows that none of these schools is limited in this area - that all three have good programs.</p>
<p>How would Master’s in computer based music helpful in any way? It’s usually not marketable and you are not going for a phD, which eliminates academia for career. Unless you know that, you won’t know the answer.</p>
<p>Actually, I am going to apply for the Phd program at stanford if I decide to go there. I applied to Brown’s Phd program. So this is the dilemma. </p>
<p>I asked the admissions board how many students who were in the masters program at stanford were accepted into the phd program. She said about 3 in the past 2-3 years. So I’m not sure if not many applied, or if it was that selective.</p>
<p>I do wish to teach eventually, after a few years working.</p>
<p>I guess I should really just figure out which school is best for me. But stanford does have a much better engineering program than the other two schools.</p>
<p>Oh and as lostincode said, all those schools are very marketable. I asked one of my professors and he said to go with stanford because of their name. He doesn’t know much about the music tech program, but he said the name alone will get recognition with employers and other universities if I decide to teach after pursuing a phd.</p>