Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas at Roberts Wesleyan University

Roberts Wesleyan graduates a modest cohort of teacher education students, so the Department of Education doesn't publish specific outcomes—but looking at the 60 other New York programs in this field provides a useful baseline. Similar programs across the state typically produce first-year earnings around $41,000, which is what we'd expect here. The $27,000 debt load sits right at the national median for teacher education programs, translating to a manageable 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio. That's considerably better than three-quarters of teacher education programs nationwide, which matters given that teaching salaries start modestly everywhere.

The catch? Top-performing programs in New York—mostly CUNY schools serving New York City's higher salary schedule—report first-year earnings in the $49,000-$59,000 range. That gap reflects geography more than program quality: teachers in Rochester simply earn less than those starting in the five boroughs. If your student plans to teach locally, this estimated outcome makes sense. If they're eyeing downstate opportunities, the same credential could yield significantly higher returns.

For families willing to take on typical teacher education debt, Roberts Wesleyan appears positioned in the middle of the pack. The real question is location: staying in the Rochester area means accepting regional salary realities, while the same degree could command 20-40% more in metropolitan markets. Make sure you're comparing Roberts to other regional options—not to NYC-area programs that benefit from a completely different labor market.