In silicon valley where I know a lot of hiring managers, Michigan has a significant advantage over Duke, but to be fair that includes hiring Comp Sci majors where UM has a better reputation and alumni network than Duke. I have hired more on the product mgmt/marketing side, not core engineering or software development, and the hiring managers/recruiters for engineering would prioritize Michigan, GT, Duke of the three you’re considering.
@theloniusmonk Initially, when I received my letter of admission from Duke, I barely considered it as an option. But after some research, this post my the user @TopTier, which seems to have gained much respect in this community, made me consider Duke a lot more seriously.
From what you have said, it seems you have experience on the topic. So, if you have the time to read his post, quoted from: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/1761319-pratt-school-of-engineering.html I would love to hear your opinion (as well as anyone else’s) on this idea of investing on mid/late career rather than the early one when choosing a college.
You can indeed post this question in the engineering forum, and if you want valid opinions of practicing and hiring engineers, you absolutely should.
I firmly believe that the university matters much more than the major at the undergraduate level. It is also worth noting that several elite private schools have engineering programs that are ranked poorly because they are relatively small. The rankings don’t always measure the quality of research output. They often look at the quantity.
You can bet your bottom dollar that I’d go to Harvard’s SEAS over Georgia Tech or Michigan even though those programs are ranked far higher. If you want to get a sense of the quality of some of Duke’s engineering professors, you should check out these links:
https://stories.duke.edu/beyond-materials-from-invisibility-cloaks-to-satellite-communications
http://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/new-faculty-vahid-tarokh
Also, be extremely skeptical of people who make blanket assertions without citing their sources.
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-colleges-for-software-developers-2014-10
Duke at 8. Michigan at 9.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/11/where-did-venture-capitalists-go-to-college/
32 VC investment partners with Duke undergrad degrees. 26 from Michigan (a school that is 5 times larger).
I seriously doubt any hiring engineer would choose Harvard over Georgia Tech or Michigan for an engineering job if that was the only thing that differentiated the candidates. VC, sure, but VC isn’t engineering, it’s business. Ditto investment banking. Having a technical background can help in those fields, but the work is COMPLETELY different. You can find any amount of self affirming data you want, if that’s what you want, or you can simply ask the people who do the hiring. They hang out in the engineering forum.
We might be able to summon some up if you don’t want to move your post… @boneh3ad, @nordicdad, @ClassicRockerDad, @HPuck35, @cosmicfish, @ucbalumnus, @colorado_mom, @MaineLonghorn, @Gator88NE
Good luck. You have lots of great options.
I’m surprised you’re not considering UT Austin… .great engineering… and Austin is kewl.
“It is also worth noting that several elite private schools have engineering programs that are ranked poorly because they are relatively small. The rankings don’t always measure the quality of research output. They often look at the quantity.”
Caltech is small and is ranked very very highly… no rankings are not based on size. that’s false.
@eyemgh It is worth noting, as I have said previously in my original post, that I plan for engineering to be more a means than an end in my career, with business being the “end” (of course, there is no certainty in that, and a lot of it will depend on the opportunities that appear). And thanks for “summoning” some of the engineering people; although I don’t plan for engineering to be an end, it will certainly be crucial in the foundation for my career, if that is the route I choose.
@JenniferClint Thank you for the specific articles (and citing the sources); I especially enjoy seeing how individuals in the faculty are performing currently. It is also nice to see statistics around venture capitalists, which are very relevant in regards to what I plan to do in the future (college and career).
Nevertheless, I often find that when researching universities of this caliber it can be easy to look for specific rankings that favor one university over the other and vice-versa. They both edge each other out in different aspects, and it becomes a matter of personal preference in what one is looking for in the college (which can be hard to know as a high school senior). I had not seen those statistics yet, and they definitely bring something else to the table for consideration.
@sbballer Regarding UT Austin, I would just refer to post #19. You can be sure I gave it a fair and extensive consideration. As far as the engineering rankings, I have found that they largely depend on who creates the list.
For instance, at least in my eyes, the ARWU seems to be more objective in this regard, while the USN rankings appear to be more subjective in their methodology. Both present their own value in a sense.
Links for the methodology of each engineering ranking:
ARWU: http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU-FIELD-Methodology-2016.html
USN: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/undergraduate-engineering-programs-methodology
These 2 quotes are simply wrong.
There is plenty of info out there about people who do MBAs, paid for at huge expense by their firms, who end up leaving in frustration b/c they are not promoted and/or their new skills are not utilized by their company. It is why more than a few large companies now have internal, company-specific talent development programs- so that they don’t pay for a qualification that can easily walk out the door. Similarly, people returning from international assignments often find it hard to fit back in, and use their new skillsets and perspectives, leading to a lot of attrition there as well- not to mention the ones who are (gently or not) encouraged out the door b/c there is no longer a good place for them.
Further, once you are “established in mid/upper-management”, the name of your undergrad institution is simply not a big deal- and it is certainly not “critical”. What will matter much, much more is your experience and (if you have one) your grad degree.
My bona fides for these opinions: BA/MBA/PhD; taught both business & engineering at the university level; experience working for Fortune 500 companies; consultant at one of the big 4 consulting firms.
Rankings are based on surveys…take them with a grain of salt. No one really knows much about more than 1 or 2 school’s undergraduate programs.
Obviously, elite privates have advantages over public universities, must have to do with resources (student to faculty ratios, etc.).
However, if you’re looking to which gives you an advantage to moving from an engineer, to a senior engineer, to an engineer manager to a technical director and up, there really is no advantage between a Duke and a Michigan degree.
Engineering is a meritocracy. Senior managers and directors will want to promote the best engineers. Most of these engineering managers/directors came from public universities, so they are not biased against them. What’s important (in your first year) is talent, work ethic, and social skills. After a few years, experience then also becomes important (an engineering manager is expected to develop their team). If you exhibit these qualities, you will be placed on the leadership track.
Of course, graduates from elite schools, are more likely to exhibit these qualities, that’s how they got into those schools in the first place! However, it’s not the school that got them selected for a leadership track, it’s their performance on the job.
Now, if you want to earn a BS in engineering, but then jump into consulting, law school, etc, that’s a different conversation.
On engineers getting into management positions. Typically it’s the engineer=engineer manager=engineer directer=VP, etc route. Of course, it’s possible to jump ship and switch from engineering, into sales/marketing/project management/etc and then to a director/executive position in those areas. You don’t have to stay in engineering your whole career, the qualities that made you a good engineer, often translates into other fields, and it’s not uncommon for engineers to make those type of career changes.
Most Important Rankings:
Michigan #21
Duke #61
https://247sports.com/Season/2018-Football/CompositeTeamRankings
;)) (a little levity)
Not sure if this is an option, but does either school have a 5 year bs/mba program? My husband did that at Cornell back in the day.
@momofsenior1, most council against that now days. It shows a job candidate isn’t interested in ultimately being an engineer, and thus is an impediment to getting a first job. No company of note will put an inexperienced engineer in a managerial position, no matter how prestigious the MBA. A blended 5 year technical BS/MS on the other hand is quite valuable. No more so than any other MS, but it gets the candidate there quicker.
@eyemgh good information for my son… Thx.
Continued attempt at levity…
Michigan 28,983 undergrads on 3,207 acres. Translates to .11 acre per student. Duke 6,449 undergrads on 8,600 acres or 1.33 acres per student.
Now on a serious note all preseason college basketball surveys have Duke #1-3. Only time Michigan appears in top 25 is when followed by the word State.
Someone mentioned about Duke being better for engineering then Georgia Tech. Thanks for the laugh of the day. 
Saying that… They both will provide jobs for the students.
Almost like saying Georgia Tech is better then Duke in basketball… I mean they both play basketball, right? ;
these engineering threads are funny… most of the posters are probably lib arts majors or come from lib arts schools and apply their world view on engineering programs
doesn’t work that way:)
- As my friend who's a Penn State alum said to me just yesterday, who cares about "those (basketball, hockey) sports." =))
- When was the last time Duke got a 110,000 people at a football and/or basketball game?
- Who made the Final Four and lost to Villanova, clearly the best team in college basketball? And yes, I know all about the best high school recruiting class in history, but Kentucky's is pretty darn close too. And Villanova will be back.
Disclaimer: I’m not an alum of either school, just a sports fan, trying to lighten up another rankings thread. 
My apologies to the OP.
My husband was definitely not interested in being an engineer. He majored in industrial engineering for his BS and had a manufacturing concentration for his MBA. He’s always wanted to work in a manufacturing environment and it has served him well for his career. Interesting that isn’t a positive any more. Times do change!