ROI Major

Civil Engineering Technologies at Nassau Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Civil Engineering Technologies degree from Nassau Community College earn a median salary of $72,273 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $54,752. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.4 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$51,505

Typical Career

$72,273

Top Performers

$95,990

Estimated break-even: 6.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$482

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,023. Most students can comfortably afford about a $482 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.9x 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, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 26.4%
Educational Services 10.4%
Retail Trade 9.4%

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

$54,752

Nominal: $72,273 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).

6.4 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 $27,063 $43,293 $62,520
5 Years After Graduation $51,505 $72,273 $95,990
10 Years After Graduation $64,402 $109,443 $141,822

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 $72,273 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)
= $72,273 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $54,752 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates of Civil Engineering Technologies at Nassau Community College shows significant growth over time. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $43,293.00, which increases to $72,273.00 five years post-graduation, and further rises to $109,443.00 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is $54,752.27, indicating that graduates in New York may face a higher cost of living, as reflected in the state's COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

Graduates typically enter diverse industries, with notable concentrations in Health Care & Social Assistance (26.4%), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (25.4%), and Health Care & Social Assistance again at 19.8%. The estimated break-even point for this educational path versus a high-school-only route is approximately 6.4 years, suggesting a reasonable return on investment for students who pursue this degree. Overall, the data indicates that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial benefits and industry opportunities present a compelling case for pursuing a career in Civil Engineering Technologies.

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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.