Are master's degrees in the US mostly meant to prepare you for a Ph.D? I am a Canadian undergraduate student intending to get a master's degree, but not intending to get a Ph.D.

A Canadian graduate student told me that master's degree in the US are really only designed for people desiring to get a Ph.D.

Is there any truth to this statement? Do masters degrees in the US put significantly more emphasis on preparation for a Ph.D than in other countries?
There are two very different kinds of computer science master's degrees:


Professional master programs involve taking lots of classes, but have no research requirement.  These are almost universally considered (academically) terminal degrees.  The actual degree is usually not "M.S.", but something similar like "M.Eng." (Cornell) or "M.C.S." (UIUC).
Research masters programs require at least a modicum of original research, usually leading to a thesis.  These are generally (but not universally) considered preparation for a PhD program, because of the research component.  The actual degree is usually "M.S."  In some departments, the MS program is equivalent to MCS + thesis; in other programs, the MS program has different (usually smaller but more advanced) course requirements.


It is very important to know which type of master's program you are applying to.