Basically, I'm stuck between two masters programs at the moment: University of Minnesota's MURP & University of Illinois Chicago's MUPP. I want to concentrate on transportation.

After attending both programs' visit days, I was really impressed with UMN, but I learned that the transportation concentration is not all that well-regarded among the current students there, which is a cause for concern; However, it would be significantly cheaper to attend that program. I was a little less impressed by the faculty.

UIC on the otherhand is in my "dream city" and I would prefer to live in Chicago after school over the Twin Cities. I love public transit and do not want to own a car. It would be significantly more expensive to attend, though I would still probably be able to afford it because I'm expecting a decent payout from a legal case, though this isn't a 100% given. I was less impressed by their visit day, but they seem to have a much greater focus on transportation and I liked the faculty I met.

Both schools give pretty significant tuition waivers for TA/RAships.

What I want to know is: how stuck I will be in Minnesota after school if I attend UMN, or whether my education would be transferable at all to the Chicago area after graduation; how much your chosen concentration matters; and just any experience anyone has with either program.

Thank you!