Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas at St. John's University-New York

St. John's teaching program starts with a jarring reality: graduates earn just $32,643 in their first year—well below both the state median ($40,790) and national median ($43,082). To put this in perspective, the program ranks in the bottom quarter of New York teaching programs, lagging far behind CUNY schools like Queens College ($58,894) and Hunter College ($49,245), which offer substantially lower tuition as public institutions.

The program does show dramatic earnings growth, nearly doubling to $62,189 by year four, which eventually puts graduates ahead of many peers. However, that first-year income poses real challenges for $25,000 in debt. While the debt load itself is typical for teaching programs, starting at such a low salary means tighter budgets during those critical early repayment years. Given that many comparable programs in New York start their graduates $8,000-15,000 higher, parents should weigh whether this particular credential justifies the private school premium.

The small sample size here is worth noting—these numbers may not fully represent typical outcomes. For families set on St. John's, this could work if other factors (location, community, specific program strengths) create strong value. But purely from an earnings perspective, the CUNY options deliver better starting salaries at significantly lower cost.