Northeastern vs UMD Cybersecurity

Hi, so I got into Northeastern Honors and UMD- College Park Honors and I’m deciding which one to go to for the field of Cybersecurity. I applied to Northeastern for a Cybersecurity degree and UMD for Computer Science with a concentration in Cybersecurity. I also got into the ACES LLC for Maryland. Not sure which one to go to though. I love Northeastern’s co op program but I would love to be in Maryland to be near DC as that is where I would like to be after college, but I’m sure I could find a co-op in DC if I went to Northeastern. Financial aid is slightly better with Northeastern but it isn’t so significant that my parents would have a problem financially with me at Maryland. I also really like that Northeastern just got a 50 million dollar grant for their CS school which I think could really help me in the future. Ugh I’m not sure what to do and I would love some insight if you have any!

UMD is one of the best for CS. If that’s where you want to end up and it’s not a financial burden, I’d pick UMD

Northeastern is right up there near the top as well for CS. A lot of things are pretty equal. I would lean slightly towards Northeastern since it has a much bigger name and reputation throughout the country and world for that matter, and also has the separate Cybersecurity major.

Two excellent choices. Given that there isn’t a significant financial difference, I’d go to whichever school you prefer (which sounds like UMD to me).

If you want to end up at the NSA or other government agency then Maryland.

Both are very good for both CS, cybersecurity, and government connections. I’m a CS major and get regular recruitment emails for NSA/CIA/FBI so I don’t think UMD has a huge advantage there. ACES is a great program though.

I’d pick based on fit here since finances are close enough. Northeastern is very much about being a city school and co-op while UMD is a more traditional model and campus. Which do you prefer there?

There’s no bad choice here, congrats on the great options!

My only insight is there is a cyber security start up culture evolving in Boston. Companies like ThreatStack. And there’s an ecosystem with Harvard bu bc and of course MIT that has embedded tech belt. And financial services giants and biotech hub. All need strong cyber security. There’s government focus in the beltway for sure.