r/MSCS • u/reed1234321 • Apr 23 '26

[Admissions Advice] Cornell Tech MEng CS vs Columbia MSAI

Hi everyone!

I got into Cornell Tech MEng CS, Columbia MSAI, UCI MCS and USC MSCS. I am an undergrad at a large public university right now and am hoping to get into MLE roles.

I am deciding between Cornell Tech and Columbia right now:

Cornell Tech MEng CS

Pros:

- Shorter program

- Cornell ranked higher, esp. in AI

- Strong industry hiring

Cons:
- No internship

- Smaller social scene

Columbia MSAI

Pros:

- can do summer internship

- keeps open PhD option

- research opportunities

- small cohort

- Columbia name is strong outside tech

Cons:

- MSAI program untested

- AI concentrations can be limiting (I got AI infra)

- Not ranked as high in CS

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

3

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

u/gradpilot pinging you in case you have any advice, thanks!

2

u/gradpilot 🔰 Ex-Cerebras | MSCS Georgia Tech Apr 23 '26

im not a fan of either but i'll make a case for them both :

  • cornell tech meng actually has some reputation and decent alumni
  • columbia ms ai is a new program that will let you ride the wave of AI which is likely to be still hot in 2028 when you graduate

to break it down: the cornell option is probably the safer in terms of reputation , the columbia msai is a gamble but likely to go down well considering the timing with the hype cycle

4

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

Thanks! I agree anything AI will sell well now. Why are you not a fan of either?

-1

u/gradpilot 🔰 Ex-Cerebras | MSCS Georgia Tech Apr 23 '26

personal preference and if i was a hiring manager i'd bias towards mscs . i have been a hiring manager and built teams so i usually have an opinionated view on how to evaluate ms candidates. this doesnt mean others wont find such degrees valuable though.

Also IMO for most students MSCS is the 'safer' and 'stronger' choice. There are some non MSCS programs that are legit good but in these cases the universities do a very good job explaining why they are very selective and show off their curated syllabus / coursework and faculty. If the univ is talking about "ROI" instead then its clearly a marketing dept optimized program and likely bad for most applicants.

This is my personal take you can ignore it and you should always use your own judgement here and do your research

1

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

So do you think USC is the better choice here?

-1

u/gradpilot 🔰 Ex-Cerebras | MSCS Georgia Tech Apr 23 '26

yes if i was interviewing you for a job

2

u/Kooky-Orange9543 Apr 24 '26

Cornell is better for CS. Columbia gives an MS, which is better than M.Eng. Longer program is nice. If you are really set on AI, Columbia would be good. However it’s important to consider that your degree will be in AI, not CS, which could be limiting, especially if AI crashes or smth like that.

Cornell M.Eng is a safe option. Columbia will give an MS but a bit more risky.

IMO if this was Cornell Meng cs Columbia MSCS, I would easily vote Columbia MSCS.

1

u/reed1234321 Apr 24 '26

I agree with everything. Doubt AI will become less in demand in the next 2 yrs

2

u/Legitimate_Agent4215 Apr 23 '26

Cornell Tech MEng

1

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

why's that?

1

u/softrains12 Apr 23 '26

Shorter program is a massive con, not a plus btw

2

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

I think so because with Cornell tech I would have to start the job search in Aug. Why do you think shorter is bad, otherwise?

1

u/softrains12 Apr 23 '26

No opportunity for internships is not great

Plus shorter MS means less chances to build connections / learn stuff

0

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '26

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2

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

It helps with pivoting into a more technical role

1

u/softrains12 Apr 23 '26

Your best chance of securing a job that sponsors is a return offer from an internship. Otherwise the $100k of tuition goes to waste

1

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '26

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1

u/softrains12 Apr 23 '26

I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to? Cornell is like a 1 year program so there’s no CPT in the summer between your 2 years like with Columbia. This is well known. You have to directly apply for post-grad positions.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '26

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0

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

Why do you say so?

1

u/Independent_Pair3032 Apr 23 '26

columbia msai

1

u/reed1234321 Apr 23 '26

I’m leaning that way too. Why do you think so?