My parents are willing to pay for tuition, so that's not the issue. However, will a master's degree actually help me out in the long run if I only get accepted to cash cow universities or is it better for me to join the industry? I also have a business background (my economics degree is a BBA) and do not plan on going into any deep research for computer science (and that is what almost all the pHd programs seem to be). Will it be better for me to take a job and go get a MBA in a few years? I want to eventually work for upper level management (like IT Project Manager) and not be a programmer for the rest of my life.