ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Queensborough Community College-CUNY

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Queensborough Community College-CUNY earn a median salary of $54,561 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $41,334. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.7 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

$38,073

Typical Career

$54,561

Top Performers

$74,923

Estimated break-even: 9.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$364

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,547. Most students can comfortably afford about a $364 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x 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, Finance & Insurance.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 27.2%
Educational Services 9.3%
Finance & Insurance 8.7%

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

$41,334

Nominal: $54,561 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).

9.7 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 $24,291 $35,951 $54,693
5 Years After Graduation $38,073 $54,561 $74,923
10 Years After Graduation $49,542 $72,194 $100,180

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 $54,561 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)
= $54,561 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $41,334 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 Queensborough Community College-CUNY experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $35,951, which increases to $54,561 after five years and reaches $72,194 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $41,334.09 nationally, indicating that while initial salaries may be modest, the long-term financial outlook is promising, particularly when considering the cost of living in New York.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 28.3% and 27.2% of graduates finding roles in this industry, alongside 9.3% in Educational Services. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 9.7 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management appears favorable. This suggests that while the initial financial commitment may take time to recoup, the potential for higher earnings and job opportunities in growing industries can justify the investment in 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.