<p>I am an industrial design student(senior) and have been admitted to CMU Master of Product Development & Upenn Integrated Product Design program. I am having a hard time choosing between these 2 schools. I wanna focus on User Experience and Interaction in my career.</p>
<p>CMU has a higher program ranking but Upenn has a higher overall ranking. It's frustrating.</p>
<p>Can anyone provide some information or any comments?
Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>Are you Asian?</p>
<p>^^why is that germane??^^</p>
<p>Congratulations!! Those are both excellent universities, and while I understand that you MUST choose, there really is no bad choice here. Have you visited the programs and talked to your prospective advisors yet? I would nominally lean more towards CMU (which has a stronger rep in engineering, plus is located in Pittsburgh, the finer of the two cities IMO), but UPenn opens a lot of doors if you want to migrate to the business side sometime later.</p>
<p>Yes, it is germane.
The person is looking for a prestige answer, and it would help to know. How important other people places program ranking vs overall ranking. He didn’t mention any ranking for name recognition.
The question I asked is as good question as. “chocolate ice cream vs vanilla?”</p>
<p>Yes you’re right. The program ranking I mentioned is for Industrial Design. I mean, when in the job hunting, would you place the school over the program?
Thanks.</p>
<p>Thanks! Yes! Personally I give more votes to CMU and it’s one of a kind in technology innovation. I think CMU is energetic while UPENN is more traditional…</p>
<p>
It depends. </p>
<p>People hiring for positions IN your field IN the US will know the value of the program and will not care about the school name, so if you actually want to work in that field, focus on the program strength. </p>
<p>People hiring for positions OUT of your field, such as management positions, or law, medical, and business schools, or OUT of the US will care about the school name and will not even know the program strength, so if THAT is your aspiration, focus on school name.</p>
<p>True. Another problem is the program @cmu last only one year. Though it is intensive, its still a very short period of time…too many things to consider…</p>
<p>@LongPrime: I asked why it is germane. I still do not understand why that question would be germane.</p>
<p>^ What are the chances that anybody would have knowledge of two colleges in the same major?</p>
<p>^OP could make a better decision of the school they will attend by looking at the environs of the university rather than the +/- of the school.</p>
<p>^Which is better vanilla or chocolate ice cream? Strawberry.
^Is UPenn program thesis based or coursed based with a capstone? vs CMU’s
^Does OP like City or Suburban?
^Does OP like to train to other cities or stay in one city for the duration? </p>
<p>Disclaimer: DS has HCI BS from CMU, MS HCI/CS from another school (thesis) and worked in CS Udub. Works and hobbies in HCI. They are all different, so he says.</p>
<p>The program @CMU is not a research type but more practical…I am a little worried if I pick Upenn I would go down another path towards engineering…</p>
<p>Hi lynnsword~
Exactly the same!
I’m also in the dilemma choosing from these two. What i’ve known is that MPD is more of an engineering/marketing type deal. While IPD considers more “design” type curriculum. But then IPD is rather new and CMU has corporate partnerships.
I am international, so one year is perhaps not a good choice if i want to stay working in the US.
Waiting for more advice or information~</p>
<p>I think I am going to IPD since I was placed on the wait list by CMU’s MPD…</p>
<p>I am also plagued by the same dilemma… Have a call from CMU and UPENN… Prefer Upenn as it is 2 years program (But same time double in cost, really a sad part) and industrial design is rather a new field to me… but worried in terms of job placement at UPenn as program is rather new in comparison to CMU…Is there any possibility to get scholar ship at UPenn (CMU it is strictly No)…</p>
<p>I have close to 8 years of work experience in product design (Schneider Electric private limited). I have Done BE - Mechanical Engineering and have 3 patents in my name. From last few years I am very much focused on Social innovation and working on innovative products for BOP and DAP segment (BOP: Bottom of pyramid and DAP: Differently abled people) with in my capacity.
Acquiring skills, guidance and funding are quite the reasons I have decided to opt for further study.
I have plan to start a start up while doing my degree (Focused on creating solution for BOP / DAP segments) and work for it after completing
~ tried to give little background about me.</p>
<p>I have got 2 calls so far one from Carnegie Melon university for “Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services” which will be jointly given by School of Engineering, Design and Tepper School of Business (1 Year: duration).</p>
<p>And other at University of Pennsylvania (Upen – IVY league college) for MSE: IPD (Integrated product Design) which will be jointly given by the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Wharton School of Business, and the School of Design (2 Years: duration).</p>
<p>Quite confused and have hardly 2 weeks left to decide.
Seek Advice badly…</p>