<p>I go to USF which is not really a good school in comparison with others, for electrical eng</p>
<p>I could do the 5 year program for the masters or I could graduate in two semesters with the BA and apply to other schools</p>
<p>At usf the best I could get would be 80% drop from tuition but I would finish the masters quick</p>
<p>I have a good gpa 3.9 and will take the GRE</p>
<p>if I do good on it should I stay or look for better programs for masters? I am open to phd too, but I don't know if coming from USF I could go to a good program</p>
<p>As long as you don’t bomb the GRE, your 3.9 GPA should get you into a nice array of “good” schools if you decide you wish to pursue other schools. Personally, I would look at other schools mainly just because it is generally a good idea to go to another school if you can so you can get a different experience from a different institution.</p>
<p>Also, in addition to the GRE, don’t forget that you would be well served to get some quality recommendations from professors.</p>
<p>Yea I think I will take your advise and try to go to a different school
My main problem is financial, 80% off tuition is not enough for me to pursue a masters if I stay in USF.</p>
<p>Any recommendation on schools I could apply that offer full tuition paid? Location is not really important</p>
<p>If you go to any major engineering school, you can get your full tuition paid by getting a TA position or an GRA position. Basically, when you apply, after you are accepted, contact professors and see if they are looking for help on any projects and need a GRA. Be persistent but not obnoxious, as profs are really bad about returning emails.</p>
<p>Depending on your overall application, it may or may not be easy to get a position before showing up at school, and if your app is good enough, you may even get the department to guarantee you money until you find a prof to sponsor you. You just have to go out there and take some initiative and find the profs and money on your own, much like grad school as a whole.</p>
<p>Anyway, with your GPA and a solid GRE school you’ll be able to find another school that will give you funding (full). I say you leave USF and apply somewhere else.</p>
<p>In general, employers like it at least marginally better when you have a broader experience, and its especially helpful that he, with his high GPA, could go to a top tier school barring a meltdown on the GRE.</p>
<p>It doesn’t apply to the OP, but some schools do offer a BA in engineering (e.g. Rice). Those schools usually have a traditional BS degree in engineering, but also offer the less technical BA, which is basically a “survey” degree that requires less hours, has less core classes, and allows for more elective classes. There are two types of students that pursue the BA: the first are students that are not interested in practicing engineering but want an engineering background for their future degree (e.g. patent law or medicine). The second are students that want to combine an engineering background with another field (e.g. a double major in civil engineering and architecture or nuclear engineering and public policy).</p>
<p>And, FWIW, my advice to the OP is to take the GRE and see what schools will accept you. You’ll have many more opportunities at top PhD programs and industry if you have an MS from UF, rather than an MS from USF.</p>