ROI Major

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions at Kingsborough Community College/CUNY

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.15

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions degree from Kingsborough Community College/CUNY earn a median salary of $47,496 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $35,982. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.1 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

$35,086

Typical Career

$47,496

Top Performers

$62,029

Estimated break-even: 14.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$317

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,958. 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, Educational Services, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.5%
Educational Services 11.8%
Public Administration 8.8%

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

$35,982

Nominal: $47,496 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).

14.1 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 $23,937 $33,498 $47,249
5 Years After Graduation $35,086 $47,496 $62,029
10 Years After Graduation $41,084 $56,930 $75,235

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 $47,496 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)
= $47,496 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $35,982 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions program at Kingsborough Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $33,498, increasing to $47,496 after five years and reaching $56,930 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 $35,981.82, indicating that while earnings grow, they may not fully offset the higher living expenses in the state.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 34.5% of placements, followed by Educational Services at 11.8%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 14.1 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree may be moderate. Students should weigh the potential for career growth and stability in these sectors against the time and financial commitment required for their education.

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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.