<p>GT: Know several graduates. Definitely the best engineering school, not knowing your son’s preferences. Expensive, but gives the most opportunities to be a top engineer.</p>
<p>JHU: Know a few graduates, got a masters there too. A good school but skewed towards the medical and defense industries - not as versatile as most other programs, and probably not worth the cost over GT unless your son is really interested in medicine or biomedical engineering.</p>
<p>Lehigh: I know a couple of graduates of that exact program, and they are decent engineers but are definitely management-focused. The program seems to produce program managers and people with strange titles in companies, like “director of IT innovation” or such. This is really a hedge for people who want to do management and think engineering is the best route. Personally, I would recommend just doing an engineering degree and addressing any management aspirations later.</p>
<p>Alabama: Know nothing about this program, don’t know any graduates. This program lacks the name recognition and reputation of the other programs, but it also lacks the expense. I do not think this program would offer the same opportunities as GT, but it won’t really stop a strong student from getting a good job or going to a good grad school. If expense is an issue, then this is the obvious choice.</p>
<p>So GT or Alabama - if cost is not really an issue, go GT, if cost IS an issue (and if it is going to be on your son in the form of loans, then it IS an issue) then Alabama.</p>