[codegeek]

Think very hard before you decide to go for any graduate degree whether Masters or even PhD. Not because Masters is bad or good. It is because there is a huge opportunity cost for those 2 years (or less).

"how much of a difference an MS actually makes in the working world."

I would say not much and I am sure there is an argument for it. Here is why. If you get a job right after your bachelors degree and work for 2 years gaining "real world" experience, you could actually be a lot more valuable to an employer or in the industry IF the employer is looking for someone with your skills/experience.

Besides, there is always time to think about a graduate degree. What if you do your MS right after bachelors and realize 5 years later that you actually would have been better off with an MBA or may be no masters at all ? You will never know that until and unless you have real world experience, trust me.

My advice: Get a job, get experience in your industry and 2-3 years later, decide if MS is still the right choice for you. Believe me, you will know then. You won't know now.

[v3rt]

Thanks for that point of view, and that's totally how I'd approach it, but because of the new joint program I'd be able to get the master's in the same amount of time that I would spend on a bachelor's anyways, sorry if I didn't make that clear. I definitely wouldn't spend an additional year or two doing a master's otherwise, but this program reduces the opportunity cost pretty significantly.