Generally speaking, if a company is looking for someone with a certain level of education, a candidate that applies with anything less is going to have a harder time competing with other people who do have the requested education.
Now that isn't to say that getting an MAS is a bad thing. More education is always more education. Remember that education requirements are there to ensure that the candidate is capable of doing the job. The more your friend is able to demonstrate his/her capabilities, the better their chance is going to be for getting hired on.
Say someone applies at the same time as your friend, and this person meets all of the requirements including an MS degree. Your friend is then going to have to have something else going for him that this other people doesn't. A few ideas that come to mind:
- Real world experience. A portfolio is always a great substitute to formal education, showing that (s)he is capable of doing the work that they were taught.
- Additional certifications. Certifications stress and test your ability to excel in an area. Studying for and obtaining certifications relevant to the job (s)he is going for is a great way to say "I've trained extra hard for this line of work".
- Starting in a position with more lenient requirements. Getting that real-world experience will help him/her learn on-the-job and substitute the education that (s)he's already received.
