Seems that in some schools, an MA/MS in a traditional academic field is often something that advanced undergraduates can continue on to after or concurrently with their BA/BS study, and/or is a step along the way to a PhD for PhD students.
But that seems to be different from the kind of programs under criticism here, which are expensive and may not lead to a significant advantage in entering the targeted profession, or the targeted profession is so competitive that most aspirants are unsuccessful at entering or progressing very far in it even if they have the desired educational credential.