ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Schenectady County Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Schenectady County Community College earn a median salary of $51,593 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $39,086. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.7 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

$38,985

Typical Career

$51,593

Top Performers

$67,652

Estimated break-even: 10.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$344

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,299. Most students can comfortably afford about a $344 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration, Accommodation & Food Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 17.6%
Public Administration 13.4%
Accommodation & Food Services 13.1%

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

$39,086

Nominal: $51,593 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).

10.7 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 $26,144 $37,536 $52,704
5 Years After Graduation $38,985 $51,593 $67,652
10 Years After Graduation $45,651 $65,715 $85,137

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 $51,593 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)
= $51,593 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $39,086 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at Schenectady County Community College experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $37,536.00, which increases to $51,593.00 after five years and reaches $65,715.00 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $39,085.61, reflecting the impact of 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 program prepares graduates for various sectors, with the top industries being Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 33.9% of placements, followed by another segment in the same field at 17.6%, and Public Administration at 13.4%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 10.7 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment over time. This data suggests that pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management can yield significant long-term financial benefits, particularly in stable and growing industries.

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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.