ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at SUNY College of Technology at Canton

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from SUNY College of Technology at Canton earn a median salary of $43,261 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $32,773. The degree typically pays for itself in 19 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

$31,392

Typical Career

$43,261

Top Performers

$60,073

Estimated break-even: 19 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$288

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,605. Most students can comfortably afford about a $288 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x 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, Public Administration, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 29.9%
Public Administration 10.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 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

$32,773

Nominal: $43,261 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).

19 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 $21,106 $28,079 $40,594
5 Years After Graduation $31,392 $43,261 $60,073
10 Years After Graduation $36,986 $52,261 $70,441

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 $43,261 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)
= $43,261 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $32,773 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at SUNY College of Technology at Canton experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $28,079, rising to $43,261 after five years, and reaching $52,261 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $32,773.48 nationally, reflecting the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, with 30.4% of graduates employed in this sector, followed closely by 29.9% and 24.9% in similar roles. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 19 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree may be considered moderate. Students should weigh the long-term financial benefits against the time and cost of obtaining their degree when making their decision.

Compare with Another School

See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at SUNY College of Technology at Canton stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at SUNY College of Technology at Canton.

Apply to SUNY College of Technology at Canton

Explore More

Other Degrees at SUNY College of Technology at Canton

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.