ROI Major

Pharmacology and Toxicology at State University of New York at Buffalo

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 26.09

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Pharmacology and Toxicology degree from State University of New York at Buffalo earn a median salary of $67,951 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $51,478. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.8 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

$48,400

Typical Career

$67,951

Top Performers

$87,848

Estimated break-even: 7.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$453

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,663. Most students can comfortably afford about a $453 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, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 18.6%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 17.5%
Educational Services 10.4%

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

$51,478

Nominal: $67,951 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).

7.8 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 $22,441 $31,874 $44,695
5 Years After Graduation $48,400 $67,951 $87,848
10 Years After Graduation $60,409 $84,259 $109,134

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 $67,951 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)
= $67,951 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $51,478 National Average equivalent.

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

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See how the Pharmacology and Toxicology degree at State University of New York at Buffalo 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.