Special Education and Teaching at St. Joseph's University-New York

The $35,041 starting salary at St. Joseph's University-New York ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally for special education programs—meaning 95% of similar programs produce better initial earnings. That's a red flag, though the context within New York is less dire: at the 40th percentile statewide, graduates earn roughly $4,000 less than the typical New York special education teacher. The $27,000 debt load is close to both state and national medians, but when paired with that weak first-year salary, it creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77—on the higher end for education degrees.

The silver lining is meaningful earnings growth: salaries jump 57% to $55,060 by year four, likely reflecting New York's structured teacher pay scales that reward experience. That puts graduates in a much stronger position after they've established themselves in the field. The robust sample size (100+ graduates) makes these numbers reliable, not a statistical fluke.

For parents considering this program, the question is whether your child can weather those challenging first few years. Special education teachers are in high demand in New York, so job placement shouldn't be an issue. But if you're comparing options within the state, programs like CUNY Medgar Evers or even SUNY Old Westbury start graduates $14,000-$3,000 higher while charging similar or lower debt. St. Joseph's isn't prohibitively expensive, but it's not the strongest value proposition for special education in the New York market.