Johns Hokpins University or Virginia Tech?

Hey guys,

I recently got accepted into grad school for both JHU and Virginia Tech. I'm not sure which one I should go with. I want to focus on Information Systems/Information Technology with a focus on Network Engineering. Fortunately, both of these schools have modules that focus on Network Engineering.

The reason I like both of these programs is they cater to full-time workers so their classes are very flexible. None of the programs are research heavy but that doesn't really matter to me. Here are the links to both programs:

https://ep.jhu.edu/programs-and-courses/programs/information-systems-engineering

VT MIT: We Know I.T.

Virgnia Tech is ranked at #2 while Johns Hopkins is #5. The only problem with VT is that it will be completely online since I am about 2-3 hours from there. I could do classes online and on-site at Johns Hopkins. They both seem like great programs but I really don't know which one I should go for. Does anyone have experiences with any of these programs?

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Comments

Danielm7

They are both great schools so you can't really make a bad choice there. If you're looking at network engineering an MS is hardly required anywhere. At that point I'd probably look at cost and convenience and try to let that help shape the decision.

marcj04

Yea they are both great schools to have on a resume haha. I'm trying to future proof myself since now a days, a Bachelor's is a minimum requirement. I figured soon, everyone that I'll be competing for a position will have at least a Bachelors and everyone else a Master's. I'm only 23 so I figured I'd bust this out before I have a family.

Cost isn't a factor because my employer is pretty much covering everything. I think I like JHU's courses for Network Engineering more. They seem to offer much more courses that focus on networking. It's just that VT is ranked higher so I'm thinking that the faculty is better there. I really want to learn so I don't want to take a course where I don't learn anything.

widget101

Assuming you're using the US News Rankings, the Faculty Credentials and Training metric is higher at VT (100/100) than at JHU (33/100). In contrast, the ranked #1 university only has 83/100. Unfortunately I'm not familiar enough with either of these programs to comment on their rigor, so I'm afraid I can't offer much assistance.

I know you didn't mention this particular school, but the program at NCSU (ranked #7) has some extremely strict admission requirements for non-CompSci/CompEng/ElecEng majors since the curriculum looks like a blend of Computer Networking and Electrical/Computer Engineering. It's definitely one of the most rigorous I've seen, at least just from course names and prerequisites.