2024 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools
Special Education is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #8 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 454 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 21,797 master's degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Master's Degree
The special ed master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality special ed program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on special education students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other special education students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for special education to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized special education related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for special education students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in the United States
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in special education. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools for a Master's in Special Ed
Teachers College at Columbia University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in special education. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.
Those special education students who get their master's degree from Teachers College at Columbia University make $14,544 more than the average special ed grad.
More information about a master’s in special education from Teachers College at Columbia University
Hunter College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in special education. Hunter is a very large public college located in the city of New York.
Those special education students who get their master's degree from Hunter College earn $19,553 more than the standard special ed grad.
More information about a master’s in special education from Hunter College
Vanderbilt University is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in special education. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
After graduation, special ed master's recipients usually make an average of $47,195 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in special education from Vanderbilt University
It is hard to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a master's degree in special education. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.
Special Education master's degree recipients from George Mason University receive an earnings boost of approximately $8,580 over the average income of special education majors.
More information about a master’s in special education from George Mason University
Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the special education program at Johns Hopkins University get $7,079 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in special education from Johns Hopkins University