What university has the best computer science/ technology program?

How is the MS computer science program at stony brook state university, New York?

• I am B.Tech Computer Science and working in an MNC in India, I have scored 316/340 in my graduate record examination and with a 4/6 in essay writing, and I want to apply for stony brook state university's masters in computer science program, and I would like to know what opportunities I can hope for after getting an MS in CS from SBSU both in terms of jobs and Ph.D, I am particularly interested in algorithms and have participated in programming competitions with a little bit of research experience as well. I have good academic credentials overall.

• Answer:

  I did my MS from Stony Brook almost a decade ago, so this information may be a bit dated. Opportunities for employment after your MS will mostly come from finance companies in NYC - Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc. None/very few of the US West Coast tech companies recruit directly from Stony Brook. It's not that they have a problem with Stony Brook - many people get jobs in the West Coast companies by applying directly or through referrals - but they don't generally come through the campus recruiting program. If you're goal is to work at a West Coast tech company, you're probably better off in Virginia Tech, which is in the same league (ranking-wise) but has better placement tie-ups with those firms. If you're looking to do a PhD, then Stony Brook is an excellent choice. There were a couple of excellent profs teaching Algorithms at Stony Brook - Steve Skiena and Michael Bender - not sure if they're still there. But if you go, then do seek them out.