Only problem is its hard to get into an M7 school, and they really care about job placement and experiences, with Duke easily wins out on.
More so, your son goes to a good company, there is a good chance that they will cover his MBA if he performs well.
TerpDad, can you share your son’s stats that got him the scholarship?
Let me pitch in as someone who did his PhD from UMCP in computer science a while back. UMCP is a ranked in 11-15 range for graduate/research program in computer science. Accordingly, its faculty is highly accomplished in their research and has a history of impacting practice also. At the same time, the overall selectivity of undergrad group isn’t at the same level. This leads to interesting positive and negatives.
The undergraduate program is quite rigorous and current - I teach at a state school with comparable quality of undergraduates, and I have found it useful to look at what they do!. However, delivery is not always to the mark, because more often than not: 1) you are taking a class from a lecturer, who probably doesn’t even hold a PhD, or 2) you are in a large section where most of your interactions will be with TAs, or 3) you take class from a professor who views being assigned to teach an undergrad class as a punishment and doesn’t have his/her heart it in it. Don’t get me wrong, there are professors who are great teachers and will take interest in undergraduates, but that is hardly the criteria for hiring or tenuring people!.
When Computer Science is in high demand, as is the case right now, the department is flooded with students. Computer Science doesn’t have a mechanism to control the enrollments, except by flunking out students in early classes. Now, someone who has been admitted to Duke doesn’t need to fear this, but such an environment for running classes most certainly does not create a positive experience for any student. Most of the students around you are not going to be ambitious - they want to survive, pass classes, and find a `job’. On top of that, there is probably a mad rush to be able to register in classes, or get off waitlist.
I would say that someone who finishes the program with a high GPA, has been noticed by their accomplished faculty (and not lecturers) and can get recommendations from them (and possibly has gained some research experience) will be highly valued by technical folks. People with advanced degrees in computer science certainly knows the reputation of the department. From more business side, you will probably not appear at par with Duke graduates. Moreover, your peer group and undergraduate experience is going to be different at Duke, because of a more selective and smaller class and professors that value undergraduate teaching more.
It is a bit like the difference between room service for breakfast vs. trying to grab food from a continental buffet of a 2 star hotel/motel. The decision isn’t so obvious if you factor in the price difference!. After all, either can you keep you full till lunch!.