Hi Taufan,
I did an Engineering Management kinda degree from NUS, Singapore and now I'm going for an MBA, hence I believe I'm sufficiently knowledgeable to comment on this.
My question to you is, do you plan to work in US after graduation? If Yes, then are any of these (or both) degrees come under STEM category? If you do a STEM masters from US you'll be able to explore much more career options in US since your OPT period will be 36 months hence your H1B is almost a surety. So,
If only one of them is STEM categorized, choose the STEM one.
If none are STEM categorized, choose the MBA or the one with lower overall cost (play safe)
If both are STEM categorized, choose the MBA.
If you don't plan to stay back in US, choose a degree that gels up better with your existing work profile. It may be difficult to switch careers with either of these hence look for a program that will best boost/enhance your career in your present industry/function.
Still confused? Toss a coin
taufans
Hello everyone, my name is Taufan from Indonesia. I am an aspiring product manager with interest in data science/business analytics. I have recently been admitted to Duke Master of Engineering Management (MEM) and deferred it for 2018 as I would like to secure a scholarship to fund my study. However, I came across Cornell Tech MBA and it is quite compelling. I'm currently considering whether it is worth it to apply for the Tech MBA or just stick with the MEM program.
Here are some comparisons I've compiled regarding the two programs:
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Location: Durham > Ithaca and NYC; better weather and cheaper living cost
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Internship: MEM > Tech MBA; Cornell Tech MBA does not have an internship component, which I think would be a very valuable experience esp for international student like me
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Curriculum: Tech MBA > MEM; Cornell Tech MBA has a more intensive curriculum with a total of 58.5 credits while MEM has only 30 credits including an internship. However, the MEM program enables student to extend the study to three semesters thus allowing more courses
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Flexibility: MEM > Tech MBA; Duke MEM program allows students to take courses from many other departments, including Fuqua courses, which I think is a good opportunity to tap into the Fuqua network and experience albeit not the same (obviously) as an MBA student
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Prestige: Johnson Cornell > Pratt Duke; While they're not exactly comparable given that Johnson is a business school and Pratt is an engineering one, Cornell having the 'Ivy League' tag makes it has the slight advantage here
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Degree Awarded: MBA > MEM; I think an MBA degree is more well-known than MEM
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Program History: MEM > Tech MBA; Duke's MEM program was founded in 1997 while Cornell Tech MBA was just recently founded in 2012
I might be wrong with the comparisons and I would greatly appreciate any feedback/suggestion as it would help my final decision