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Business Administration and Management at Columbia - Greene Community College - SUNY Office of Cmnty Colleges

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Columbia - Greene Community College - SUNY Office of Cmnty Colleges earn a median salary of $47,607 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $36,066. The degree typically pays for itself in 13.3 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$34,107

Typical Career

$47,607

Top Performers

$61,773

Estimated break-even: 13.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$317

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,967. Most students can comfortably afford about a $317 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.7%
Retail Trade 10.8%
Public Administration 9.6%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$36,066

Nominal: $47,607 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% lower purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

13.3 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $25,113 $34,745 $52,495
5 Years After Graduation $34,107 $47,607 $61,773
10 Years After Graduation $44,939 $58,704 $81,671

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $47,607 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $47,607 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $36,066 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at Columbia - Greene Community College can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,745, increasing to $47,607 five years post-graduation, and reaching $58,704 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted five-year salary is approximately $36,065.91, indicating that graduates may experience a different economic reality than their peers in other states.

The program prepares students for careers primarily in Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, and other sectors, with 34.7% and 20.0% of graduates entering Health Care & Social Assistance. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 13.3 years. This suggests that while the investment in education may take over a decade to recoup, the long-term benefits in terms of earnings and career opportunities in these growing industries can provide a favorable return on investment.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at Columbia - Greene Community College - SUNY Office of Cmnty Colleges stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.