[Results and Decisions] Which program gives me the best shot at SWE/AI roles as a US citizen?
Cost is not a factor for me as I’m purely trying to maximize job market outcomes. Interested mainly in SWE roles.
I currently have the following offers:
∙ Carnegie Mellon University - MS in AI Systems Management (16 months)
∙ Georgia Tech - MSCS on-campus
∙ Cornell University - MEng CS
∙ UCSD - MSCS
∙ UIUC - MCS on-campus
∙ USC - MSCS (probably not in consideration)
CMU would be the obvious choice here if I were purely chasing brand name, but the AIM program is brand new so there’s zero employment outcome data. The curriculum is seems strong and AI-focused, but I feel like I would be betting on a program that hasn’t proven itself yet.
GT seems like the best pure SWE option. It’s top 5 CS, and has a window for internships. Main concern is OMSCS dilution (especially for US Citizens, I think) and whether recruiters bother distinguishing the two.
Cornell has the Ivy CS credential but no internship window between semesters, which feels like a big disadvantage in this market.
So what do you all think? Is the CMU brand worth betting on a completely unproven program? Does GT’s OMSCS problem actually affect on-campus recruiting? Is there a clear winner here that I’m not seeing?
Thanks in advance.