Oxford/ETH career options for physicists

Hi everyone,

I’m in the final year of my undergraduate degree in Italy, and I’ve received offers for the MSc in Physics at ETH Zurich and the MSc in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics at Oxford.

I’m trying to understand whether choosing one program over the other would significantly affect the career paths available afterward, so significantly that it's worth the ≈ 40k € difference in tuition fees. (Oxford MTP is the more expensive one)

At the moment I haven’t committed to a specific field yet. I’m interested in theoretical physics, but I’m also drawn to work that could have a concrete impact on society within my lifetime. At the same time, I would like to keep open the possibility of a very high-paying career.

Because of that, I’m wondering which directions starting from a physics background might fit that combination best. For example, would areas like AI/ML, quantum technologies, or advanced hardware make more sense than more purely theoretical paths?

TL;DR: Undecided between ETH and Oxford MTP. The tuition fees for the whole master's programs are ~6500 CHF and ~44 000 £.

1) Does ETH tend to open more doors in industry than Oxford MTP?

2) Is Oxford MTP a better fit for people aiming at a theoretical physics PhD?

3) Is Oxford MTP really worth that much money?(I would have to take a loan)

4) Which physics-adjacent areas seem to offer both real-world impact and high earning potential?

I’d be very grateful to hear from anyone with experience of either program, or from people who have thought about similar trade-offs!