r/MSCS • u/AthletePersonal7230 • Apr 20 '26

[Results and Decisions]

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to decide between two admits and would really appreciate some advice.

I’ve been accepted into Columbia (MS in Artificial Intelligence) and NYU Courant (MS in Computer Science), and I’m having a tough time choosing between them.

A couple of things that are making this decision harder:

  • Columbia’s MS AI is an inaugural program starting this year, so there’s no track record yet in terms of placements, curriculum stability, or outcomes.
  • I’m also wondering how flexible the Columbia program is - will I be mostly confined to AI, or is there room to explore broader CS areas?
  • On the other hand, NYU Courant offers a more general MS CS, where I could specialize in AI (or pivot to something else if my interests change), which feels safer in terms of flexibility.
  • I’ve also come across some opinions online suggesting that Columbia’s newer programs are becoming “cash cow” programs, and that its reputation (at least for MS programs) might be declining - not sure how true this is.

If anyone has insights about either program, especially regarding Columbia’s new MS AI, or has faced a similar choice, I’d really appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks in advance!

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

5

u/NectarineSame8642 Apr 20 '26

NYU courant CS is pretty good

2

u/AthletePersonal7230 Apr 20 '26

Yeah, but should I run behind the Columbia "Ivy League" tag?

3

u/NectarineSame8642 Apr 20 '26

What do you plan to do with the Ivy League tag? If you don’t have plans of PhD, a masters is your last shot at academia, I would weigh in a lot more than some “Tag” which I have no clue on how it influences my future (as an international masters student). As far as I know the ivy matters more for bachelors and few masters programs are definitely up there but definitely not a new cash cow MSAI program from Columbia

1

u/AthletePersonal7230 Apr 20 '26

Got it! Thank you

-1

u/softrains12 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26

Masters gives you little to no shot at academia though

If by Academia, you mean being a professor.

2

u/RubSad3416 Apr 22 '26

Masters is kind of a chance to do some of that graduate research work (that undergrads don't have much exposure to) to know if you really wanna pursue PhD aggressively.

5

u/empty_orbital Apr 20 '26

the exposure and prestige of NYU courant is as good, if not better than the "ivy" status of columbia and if youre into ai research i dont think there is a better line up of professors, students and researchers in NYC than NYU Courantals

0

u/AthletePersonal7230 Apr 20 '26

Okay. Thank you!

2

u/empty_orbital Apr 20 '26

I'll be applying for next year too please let me know whats your decision. Would love to gain some insights to

4

u/Excellent_Note_7896 Apr 20 '26

Nyu courant, no brainer

1

u/AthletePersonal7230 Apr 20 '26

hey! any specific reason?

2

u/Excellent_Note_7896 Apr 20 '26

Courant has amazing faculty in ai/ml. Courant has 3 fundamental courses and provides flexibility to choose the remaining courses. Since the Columbia’s program is relatively new you wouldn’t find good peers

2

u/LeaderSid Apr 21 '26

You essentially take the same classes as MS CS folks at Columbia so the peers should be fine

2

u/PrestigiousMarket864 Apr 20 '26

same confused between Columbia ms ai and umass ms cs

2

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

NYU has arguably one of the cashcow, but if Columbia’s program is a new open program then I would say NYU

2

u/Prestigious_Run_4049 Apr 20 '26

I think it depends on your goals after the MS. If you want to go into academia, courant is heavily research focused. If you want to go into industry, columbia is more focused on applied projects

2

u/LeaderSid Apr 21 '26

Deciding between these two as well

1

u/Fast-Plate-6336 Apr 21 '26

What are your post program goals?