MBA to be a project manager?

Getting In:

You can take a couple of routes for this. Having worked in large corporate environments myself, I've witnessed many times where a Project Manager has stepped over into the development realm, or where a developer has taken up the role of Project Manager as their skills in time and resource management have been seasoned.

So your route can go either way, you can work towards and entry-level development position, while explaining to the company that your ultimate goal is to fill a Project Management position at some point - or you can work towards finding an entry-level Project Coordinator position with the future goal of moving up to a Project Manager position.

For many small companies, the Project Manager and Development Team may be blurred. A company may be small enough that they can't justify a Project Management position, full-time, and require that their developers cross-train in project management methodologies to work to keep track of their own team's projects.

Your two most likely routes of job entry would either be a small startup, or smaller business that is in need of entry-level coders with the hope that they grow and a project management position opens up (make sure you clearly define your future goals in your interview).

Or, obtaining an entry-level Project Coordinator position at a large company who has a well-established, large Project Management Office (PMO).

Differences in Project Manager and Project Coordinator:

Project Coordinator: The PC usually works to create and schedule the initial project layout. They're experts with time management, and understanding how individual tasks can be split up and assigned to different resources within the company. They ultimately need the Project Manager's final sign-off on any tasks/schedules that they create, but the Project Manager usually lets the PC handle all scheduling and the initial make-up of the project itself.

Additionally, if the PMO is small enough, it may not have access to a Business Analyst. The Project Coordinator may be expected to do requirement interviews with the Product Owners, work with them to create specification documents, etc.

Project Manager: The PM takes responsibility in the overall health and well-being of the project. This usually includes compiling and communicating updates on all their projects that they've obtained from their PCs, understand the financial health of the product, manage their PMO office, and deliver and transition the product to production support.

Progression:

You'll want to make sure that either route you take, will work towards your acquisition of your Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Since this certification requires X number of hours of actually managing projects to obtain, making sure you keep track of the number of hours in each of your projects to meet these requirements will be your first level of progression in the PM world.

Additionally, I would find out during the interview process if the company is willing to aid, and pay for, your PMP certification. Many companies will require a PMP or equivalent for the Project Manager role.