ROI Major

Engineering, General at Kingsborough Community College/CUNY

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 14.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Engineering, General degree from Kingsborough Community College/CUNY earn a median salary of $58,363 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $44,214. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.2 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

$42,146

Typical Career

$58,363

Top Performers

$81,500

Estimated break-even: 9.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$389

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,864. Most students can comfortably afford about a $389 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.5%
Educational Services 11.8%
Public Administration 8.8%

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

$44,214

Nominal: $58,363 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).

9.2 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 $24,171 $32,705 $51,223
5 Years After Graduation $42,146 $58,363 $81,500
10 Years After Graduation $43,722 $76,015 $98,592

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 $58,363 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)
= $58,363 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $44,214 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Engineering, General program at Kingsborough Community College/CUNY experience a notable earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $32,705, which increases to $58,363 after five years and reaches $76,015 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $44,214.39, reflecting the higher cost of living in New York (COL index: 1.32). This indicates that while initial earnings may seem modest, the long-term financial benefits can be significant, particularly when considering the inflation-adjusted figures.

The top industries that graduates enter predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 34.5% of employment, followed by a second segment of 20.1% in the same field, and Educational Services at 11.8%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 9.2 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. Graduates can expect to see a substantial increase in earnings over time, particularly in sectors that are experiencing growth and demand for skilled professionals.

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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.