ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas at SUNY at Fredonia

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.13

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from SUNY at Fredonia earn a median salary of $56,086 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $42,489. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.3 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$45,235

Typical Career

$56,086

Top Performers

$68,116

Estimated break-even: 10.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$374

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,674. Most students can comfortably afford about a $374 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: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 27.5%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.5%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.0%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$42,489

Nominal: $56,086 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).

10.3 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 $24,637 $35,031 $49,292
5 Years After Graduation $45,235 $56,086 $68,116
10 Years After Graduation $53,320 $64,777 $79,270

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 $56,086 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)
= $56,086 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $42,489 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas program at SUNY Fredonia experience a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $35,031, which rises to $56,086 after five years and reaches $64,777 a decade post-graduation. 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 salary five years after graduation is approximately $42,489.39, indicating that while earnings grow, the purchasing power may not keep pace with inflation.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (27.5%), Health Care & Social Assistance (14.5%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (9.0%). The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 10.3 years, suggesting a considerable time investment before realizing a return on educational expenses. Overall, while the program offers a pathway into stable employment sectors, prospective students should weigh the long-term financial implications against the backdrop of New York's higher cost of living.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree at SUNY at Fredonia stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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