Manhattan College Means Value
Manhattan College is consistently ranked among the top schools in national surveys that examine the value of a college degree. Our lower than average tuition and generous financial aid packages, combined with higher than average graduate salaries make Manhattan College a good investment. Check out what the surveys say about us:
Fifty Affordable Colleges with the Best Return on Investment 2011
Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Manhattan College 13th out of nearly 700 colleges and universities surveyed in its 50 Affordable Colleges with the Best Return on Investment report — higher than both Yale and Columbia universities.
The report found that the top 50 colleges and universities, including Manhattan College, delivered a 30-year net return on investment greater than $1 million for graduates. See full survey results »
Best Northeastern Colleges in the U.S. by Salary Potential 2011-2012
Conducted by PayScale.com, this survey studied the salaries of graduates from more than 1,000 colleges and universities, and ranked Manhattan College 12th among best Northeastern colleges in the U.S. — higher than Yale, Columbia and Brown universities.
The report showed that the median salary of Manhattan College alumni nearly doubled from entry level to mid-career. According to the report, the starting median salary for Manhattan College graduates is $53,900 and the mid-career median salary is $107,000. See full survey results »
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Best Value in Private Colleges 2011
Manhattan College was named as one of the top 100 private universities in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Best Value in Private Colleges’ survey, placing first among New York colleges for lowest total cost and lowest average debt for students at graduation. The College also ranked in the top 20 nationally for both of these categories. See full survey results »
Learn more about our job placement rates »
MEET SUCCESSFUL GRADUATES
Meet some of our recent graduates whose professional accomplishments demonstrate the value of a Manhattan College degree:
Christine Reina ’09
Occupation: Supervisor of Nuclear Medicine, Lenox Hill
Major: Nuclear Medicine Technology
As a freshman, Christine Reina remembers thinking, “I know what I don’t want as a career.” But all it took was one conversation with Larry Hough, director of radiological and health professions at Manhattan College, to turn her don’t into a do.
Fast-forward four years, and Reina was doing exactly what she wanted. Hired full-time by Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital before graduating, Reina worked as a nuclear medical technician for two years before being promoted to her current position.
At just 24-years-old, she now oversees the department of nuclear medicine — from scheduling patients to making sure all radiological tests are run properly and in compliance with law.
Reina, a Syracuse area-native, says she was drawn to the small class sizes and personalized mentorship she received in Manhattan College’s nuclear medicine technology major.
The close-knit academic program prepared her for the real-world nuclear medicine field, which is just as intimate — with less than 22,000 technicians working in the U.S. earning average annual salaries of $69,050, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“By the time I was a senior, there were maybe five of us left,” Reina says. “I had my own group of people to rely on and that really helped. In some other fields you can shy away from attention, but here you can’t.”
During her junior and senior years at the College, Reina interned at Lenox Hill with Dr. Stephen Scharf, New York City’s premiere radiological and nuclear medicine specialist.
“Being 18 and working with people who are really old and possibly dying is a life-changing experience, and helped me transition into the mindset that I’m a professional here because of Manhattan College,” Reina says.
Today, Reina says she sees herself in the interns she supervises, the majority of which are fellow Jaspers.
“The reason I am where I am today is because of my professors at Manhattan College, and I want to have the same effect on these students. I realize how important it is in a small field to have people to reach out to,” she said. “I hope to inspire them.”
Joan McGillycuddy ’85
Occupation: Chief Patent Counsel, Avon Products
Major: Chemical Engineering
Joan McGillycuddy ’85 has just one word to describe her path from Manhattan College’s school of engineering to Albany Law School to her current job as chief patent counsel at Avon Products.
“It was serendipity,” she says. “I was at a dinner for INTA (International Trademark Association) attorneys, and I was going to leave but ended up sitting right next to my [future] boss.”
Upon closer examination, McGillycuddy’s arrival at Avon was no accident. Her boss, Anthony Santini ’82, and department colleague, Charles Zeller ’68, are Manhattan chemical engineering graduates themselves. And McGillycuddy recognizes that her foundation for success was built in Riverdale.
“The breadth of knowledge, the independent projects we did senior year, the real life experiences and the professors in the working world helped us make decisions as we moved forward,” she says. “And I had a lot of female role models at Manhattan at a time when women weren’t traditionally engineers.”
Like McGillycuddy, most engineering graduates pursue advanced degrees, though starting salaries for engineers are among the highest of those holding bachelor’s degrees. According to a 2009 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, chemical engineers earned an average of nearly $65,000 upon graduation.
After law school, McGillycuddy transitioned into cosmetic patent law, a field she says she enjoys because of its quick, competitive nature and tangible results — “a scientific return on investment.”
“One of the great things is that you really see the nexus between science and the business impact,” she adds. “There’s a satisfaction in seeing that work end up on the market and in somebody’s hands.”
Combining engineering and law has allowed McGillycuddy to pursue her passions and form a niche of expertise.
On any given day, she can be found examining new sets of patent laws, analyzing the strategic impact of Avon’s market claims, studying how to best utilize provisional applications, as well as delving into litigations and agreement work.
“Being a chemical engineer sets you up for opportunities. And in college I formed a lot of great relationships, networks and friendships,” she says. “I still see my Manhattan friends every Christmas!”