Boston Uni vs. Uni of Illinois at Chicago

[aneesapirani]

Hello,

I am a current RN with a BSN. I am applying for grad school and trying to get my Masters in Health Informatics. I have been accepted by online programs at both Boston University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Has anyone on this forum or your acquaintances attended either of these programs? I would love more insight on the pros and cons. I understand that distance learning is difficult as it is and requires time management and work/school balance. I am just trying to choose the best option here. Thank you.

Aneesa

[ikarus01]

Haven't attended either, but I would choose the cheapest option. I think for 99% of the jobs, when hiring a candidate, we don't even look at the university they attended.

I just googled both programs and interestingly enough, Boston's website so called human interface is horrendous. I can't really get to the information I'm looking for without having to click way too many times. It seems they hired a marketer to convert sales, rather than to inform. Chicago's, the information is there in one click, although you have to scroll down. So from theory to actually applying concepts in real life, Chicago looks better!

Anyway...I looked at the core courses in Chicago and they are the standard courses covered in most universities; if you don't have experience in the field, you're not going to come out ready to run a project, but most likely will learn on the job, as most of us did. So if that was me, I would just choose whichever would put the least dent in my pocket, but I tend to be practical that way.

[MusicNurse1]

I second ikarus7401's advice. I don't have any experience with either of those schools, but I also did an online program (through the University of Maryland School of Nursing). I had in-state tuition, and I received $$ from my employer, so it was a no-brainer. I'd pick the one that best fits into your life and your budget.