ROI Major

Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at Suffolk County Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.23

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions degree from Suffolk County Community College earn a median salary of $50,390 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $38,174. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.7 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

$35,298

Typical Career

$50,390

Top Performers

$65,062

Estimated break-even: 11.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$336

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,199. Most students can comfortably afford about a $336 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x 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, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 27.2%
Educational Services 10.8%
Retail Trade 9.9%

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

$38,174

Nominal: $50,390 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).

11.7 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 $22,550 $30,123 $49,171
5 Years After Graduation $35,298 $50,390 $65,062
10 Years After Graduation $48,030 $65,534 $107,901

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 $50,390 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)
= $50,390 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $38,174 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 in Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at Suffolk County Community College shows a significant increase over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $30,123, which rises to $50,390 five years post-graduation and reaches $65,534 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the COL index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary five years after graduation is approximately $38,174.24, indicating that while earnings grow, the local cost of living may impact overall financial well-being.

Graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, which collectively account for 51.4% of employment, alongside Professional, Scientific & Technical Services at 13.6%. The estimated break-even point for those pursuing this path versus a high-school-only education is approximately 11.7 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment. While the initial earnings may be modest, the upward trajectory and industry demand indicate a favorable outlook for graduates in terms of career stability and growth potential.

Compare with Another School

See how the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions degree at Suffolk County Community College 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.