Gatech vs CMU for ECE

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

I have been accepted into both Gatech and CMU for ECE(undergrad). I know they are both great schools and on par. I am incredibly interested in doing research and want to go to graduate school and possibly become a professor. The main difference between these schools for me is the cost.

Gatech: 45 k
CMU: 68 k

I see that starting salaries of alumni from CMU earns 10k higher than Gatech(and even higher in CS because although it is hard to change major at CMU, SCS can still be an option for me if I go there) but I don’t know how accurate is this. Does this mean CMU grads are more highly regarded in industry and academia than Gatech grads? Is CMU more prestigious in engineering? And mainly if yes is CMU worth the cost difference?

2

Average starting salaries are essentially useless data points. It reflects, more than anything else, the geographical regions in which a school’s graduates tend to work after graduation. Georgia Tech, being in the south (and in Atlanta in particular) has more graduates in that region than does CMU, and that region has an extremely low cost of living.

3

@boneh3ad Thanks a lot for your input sir. So is an average grad from CMU as highly regarded as an average grad from Gatech especially in academia?

4

Just go look around various universities’ websites. You will see lots of GT and CMU grads populating the ranks of their faculties.

5

My DD goes to GT and loves it and has a ton of opportunity. For the money difference I would go to GT and save the difference for graduate school. Like @boneh3ad said- you will find GT and CME grads populating the ranks of their facilities. I also think GT has the advantage that you can easily change your major while at CMU you are limited to the college where you have been accepted. My DD and her friends do a ton of research at GT and if you get a certain gpa you could qualify for the accelerated Masters program that could save you some money and time.

I also wouldn’t give a lot of credence starting salary reports for alumni. It has been my experience that the data is self-reported with a very small number of alumni reporting their salaries. My children have never answered that kind of survey. GT has a ton (over 500 employees) recruit at their college fairs.

6

There’s no reason to save money for grad school. Grad school in engineering should be free.

7

" Grad school in engineering should be free" - True. But GT undergrad would probably be saving the parents almost $100… which could be used for other children or retirement.

8

You’re talking about two of the top schools in the country for ECE. Given the $100k difference in cost over 4 years, this should be a no-brainer.

9

My D2 is a sophomore at GTech studying Mech Eng… The only 2 places I would have spent 20K+ more per year would have been MIT and Stanford, she did not get into either.

Save your money and go to GTech. My D2 is planning to attend a top 7 B-school after a few years of work experience under her belt. You could utilize the money for similar purposes.