Is it worth going to University of Massachusetts Amherst by paying double instead of Portland State University in areas of Embedded Systems for Masters of Science in ECE?

If you go by the brand name and ranking, University of Massachusetts clearly is our winner. But what about other factors? Let us consider three parameters to choose a better University for you shall we? 

1. Job opportunities after graduation
2. Research opportunities
3. Funding

Job opportunities:

When it comes to job opportunities, PSU has an edge because of its proximity to Intel. But UMass weighs equally if not less because of its brand name and connections it has. Upon that UMass is a huge University which offers you tons of connections globally. So there is a tie between both UMass and PSU.

Research:

Students at Massachusetts, Amherst usually team up with the University faculties in their ongoing research projects along with pursuing their degree. The department focuses majorly on Computer networking, embedded systems and Computer system security. 

PSU on the other hand is a great University if you are looking to pursue your career in front end VLSI. It's curriculum aligns perfectly with the technology which Intel is using. 

Funding:

UMass Amherst clearly beats PSU in both internal and external research funding. If your area of focus aligns with that of the university, then well you would just hit a jackpot! While PSU still offers internal research grants upto $5,000 UMass is on par with that.

With one tie and two leads, University of Massachusetts Amherst is a clear winner. So yes, the money you pay at UMass is clearly worth it and you can earn a lot more than your investment within a few years of graduation.