ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods at SUNY College at Geneseo

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.12

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods degree from SUNY College at Geneseo earn a median salary of $56,843 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $43,063. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.1 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

$44,547

Typical Career

$56,843

Top Performers

$68,524

Estimated break-even: 11.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$379

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,737. Most students can comfortably afford about a $379 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x 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 28.5%
Health Care & Social Assistance 16.0%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 14.5%

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

$43,063

Nominal: $56,843 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).

11.1 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 $23,542 $30,810 $42,838
5 Years After Graduation $44,547 $56,843 $68,524
10 Years After Graduation $51,258 $61,917 $77,506

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 $56,843 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)
= $56,843 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $43,063 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 Levels and Methods program at SUNY College at Geneseo experience a steady increase in earnings over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $30,810, which rises to $56,843 after five years and further to $61,917 after ten years. 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 post-graduation is approximately $43,062.88, indicating that while earnings grow, the purchasing power may be impacted by higher living costs.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (28.5%), Health Care & Social Assistance (16.0%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (14.5%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 11.1 years, suggesting that while the initial financial return may be delayed, the long-term benefits of a degree in education can be significant. Overall, students should weigh the potential for career satisfaction and stability against the financial investment and time required to achieve a favorable return on investment.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods degree at SUNY College at Geneseo 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.

Explore More