I think the advice to avoid an MSCS should be taken with a grain of salt, particularly if you have an undergrad degree in CS and/or already know the material on this page.<p>While it is true that programs are cash cows and there is both potential debt and opportunity cost, you can learn a lot if you pick the right courses, such as well-taught graduate systems courses with a serious project component.<p>I have often wished that software I've seen, both commercial and open source, had been written by people who had a better understanding of computer systems, especially operating systems, databases, distributed systems, etc..