Quick Question: I want to find a job in the US ASAP. I received the offers of Duke Statistical Science, Duke MQM and Emory MsBA. MIDS is a new program, no employment stats until now. But I feel that the curriculum is attractive. This is a 2 years program with a summer internship (I don’t have any data related work experience). MSA@NCSU has a good reputation and career service, and cheaper than Duke. Which one should I choose?
 

Quick Answer: Congrats on your offers! It’s tough to say for sure which program will allow you to secure a job most quickly following graduation but, generally speaking, Duke is an excellent school and one that is likely to provide you with strong career services support. Even if there are no employment stats for MIDS they should be able to answer questions about the level of career services support you’ll receive, which types of companies are expected to come on campus to recruit, etc. One challenge of a new program is the lack of alumni network, however, so that would be one additional reason to consider NCSU. Duke is generally a more well-known name, however, and is generally considered to be a more prestigious school; the Duke brand would be great to have on your resume.

The most important factor though is which program you feel most excited about. The purpose of grad school is to fill skill gaps so you can advance in your career, so I’d base your decision on the program whose classes and professors are most exciting to you. Yes, the cost is a factor but I don’t recommend using it as a huge deciding factor since the whole purpose of a grad program is to improve your lifetime earning potential. You will be best positioned to do that if you go to the school that you are genuinely most excited to attend from the standpoint of their class offerings & professors.

Good luck!