<p>My S is interested in Software Eng. He is restricted to schools that participate in my schools tuition exchange (for financial reasons). One of the top contenders at this point is RIT. We really liked the co-op opportunities and the job placement after graduation seems really good. All in all, it will take 5 years with the co-ops to complete the BS degree at RIT. We visited there and he really liked it.</p>
<p>Another choice is St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX. It's not as well known and the dept is not nearly as large, but in 5 years he could get a BS/MS in SE. So, I'm not sure whether we should go witht the more respected school and a BS or a school where he could get an MS in the same amount of time. I doubt seriously this boy will want to spend any additional time in school beyond the 5 years. </p>
<p>There are other schools (like WPI and some other potentials depending on what his final ACT score and gpa are, but this is where we are starting).</p>
<p>He is a jr and we are trying to focus our search so we can plan visits in the spring. Which school would you think would provide the best future job prospects for him?</p>
<p>Any helpful advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.</p>
<p>From a jobs perspective, RIT is a good choice. I met a guy who earned his BS and MS at RIT and he was a sharp guy who knew his stuff well. Here’s what you need to consider: when your son goes to interview for engineering jobs, most if not all of the interviewers are going to be other engineers, and many of them are going to be familiar with RIT or know some RIT graduates. So if they see that your son earned good grades there, they can safely assume that, at the very least, he has an adequate technical foundation for working in the field.</p>
<p>I don’t really think you should frame it as, “5 years for a BS at RIT vs. 5 years for BS+MS elsewhere.” Ultimately, what’s important is the quality of education your son receives and not how many pieces of paper he gets. In a challenging job (or a challenging inteview) you can’t hide behind an advanced degree.</p>