ROI Major

Health and Physical Education/Fitness at CUNY Brooklyn College

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 31.05

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Physical Education/Fitness degree from CUNY Brooklyn College earn a median salary of $69,409 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $52,583. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.4 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$41,154

Typical Career

$69,409

Top Performers

$91,460

Estimated break-even: 7.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$463

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,784. Most students can comfortably afford about a $463 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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, Educational Services, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 21.5%
Educational Services 17.3%
Public Administration 11.0%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$52,583

Nominal: $69,409 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).

7.4 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 $23,995 $34,970 $50,463
5 Years After Graduation $41,154 $69,409 $91,460
10 Years After Graduation $50,615 $85,965 $120,780

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 $69,409 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)
= $69,409 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $52,583 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Health and Physical Education/Fitness program at CUNY Brooklyn College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,970, which increases significantly to $69,409 five years post-graduation, and reaches $85,965 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary five years after graduation is approximately $52,582.58, indicating that while earnings grow, the cost of living may impact overall financial well-being.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (21.5%), Educational Services (17.3%), and Public Administration (11.0%), suggesting a diverse range of career opportunities. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.4 years, indicating that while there is a significant investment in education, the long-term return on investment appears favorable. Overall, graduates can expect a solid career foundation with opportunities for growth in essential sectors.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Health and Physical Education/Fitness degree at CUNY Brooklyn College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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