Geography and Cartography at State University of New York at Cortland

Based on comparable geography programs in New York, SUNY Cortland's estimated first-year earnings of $36,271 align with the state median—but that's not exactly cause for celebration. Geography graduates across New York typically earn less than the national median of $38,726, and even the state's top performers like Binghamton barely crack $40,000. The estimated debt load of $20,548 is manageable, yielding a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.57, which suggests graduates could reasonably pay off loans within a year or two of focused payments.

The more encouraging signal comes from the four-year earnings figure of $46,280, which represents actual reported data and shows meaningful income growth. This 28% jump suggests geography skills become more valuable with experience, though it's worth noting we're comparing actual four-year outcomes to estimated first-year figures here. Similar programs in New York show wide variation in outcomes—from Buffalo's $29,390 to Binghamton's $40,434—making it difficult to predict where Cortland graduates specifically will land.

The reality is that geography and cartography remains a modest-earning field even at its best. If your child is genuinely passionate about spatial analysis and environmental work, the estimated debt burden won't be crushing. But if they're exploring this major casually, understand that peer programs rarely produce six-figure career trajectories, and actual outcomes for Cortland's small graduate cohort could differ significantly from these state-level estimates.