There are some other factors that you might want to pay attention to as well in your process of choosing a masters program. Reputation of a school is helpful--but it's also related to who the faculty is at the school--the various persons you may get the opportunity to work with, etc.
YES, what you actually DO in the program is also important--perhaps just as important as the overall name of the school.
But finally--I'd like to mention the outside chance that you might not have thought of--the overall stability of the school you apply to. Will it still be around 5-10yrs after you've graduated. Will the faculty also be present to provide you support and recommendations toward your
future career? Or will they be somewhere else doing something else because the insititution you went to morphed into something else either by some obvious reasons or for some other hidden economic or political reasons not immediately apparent.

Just some thoughts to also consider.

"b. Schirmer" wrote:

> I have a question that is related to the degree issue:
>
> I will be going to Grad school to recieve a masters in the next few years, and I would like to know if where you get your degree matters, or is it a personal and geographical matter?  I am looking at a few highly renowned programs as well as a couple of local schools.  Should I be
> considering reputation as an important matter, or is a masters, a masters, a masters?  Are schools accredited through the AAM, or is it up to me to evaluate the quality of the program?
>
> Any advice would help me make these decisions,
> B. Schirmer
>
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