I am international student looking to pursue an MS in CS (at Amherst with DS specialization) or an MS in DS at Northeastern. I’ve been sitting on this decision for a while now and I haven’t gotten anywhere closer to making a decision. I am looking for an MS degree in the States purely for jobs. That is the end goal- to get a high paying job. Going by rankings, UMass clearly outweighs NEU in every aspect. Especially so for the ML and DS landscape. But being right out of college, with no international work exp, the co-op program at Northeastern is very appealing. Cost is no factor as it comes it pretty neck and neck in the end. Please provide your two cents on this.
It really, truly, is OK for you to contact the career center at each campus, and ask where their international MS graduates end up. Ask Northwestern specifically about co-op placement for international students. In some programs, international students don’t get co-op placements.
Ask people in your country who hire CS graduates if they prefer one program over another. Graduating here will not guarantee you a job in the US. You need to know where else you can find work when you finish your program.