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Early Childhood Special Education

Types of Degrees Early Childhood Special Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Early Childhood Special Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	39
Associate’s Degree	1,269
Bachelor’s Degree	955
Master’s Degree	1,285

What Early Childhood Special Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Early Childhood Special Education develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Early Childhood Special Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Early Childhood Special Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Early Childhood Special Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Early Childhood Special Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Early Childhood Special Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Early Childhood Special Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Early Childhood Special Education graduates include:

• Physical Education Instructor
• Instructor
• College Professor
• Education Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Education Professor
• Special Education Professor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Education Faculty Member
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Mathematics Education Professor
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Visual Education Teacher
• Educational Teaching Instructor
• Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Early Childhood Special Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	62.9%
Master’s degree	13.9%
Bachelor’s degree	9.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	9.5%
First professional degree	2.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.9%
Some college courses	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Early Childhood Special Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92.5% of Early Childhood Special Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,282	92.5%
Men	266	7.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Early Childhood Special Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,744	49.2%
Asian	201	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,178	33.2%
Black or African American	205	5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	22	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	86	2.4%
Race Unknown	73	2.1%
International Students	35	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Early Childhood Special Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Early Childhood Special Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,981
4 years	$54,220
5 years	$59,983

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,983 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Early Childhood Special Education Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Early Childhood Special Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	2
Bachelor’s	6	4
Master’s	11	6

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Early Childhood Special Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Early Childhood Special Education graduates earn a median of $54,220 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Special Education and Teaching	13.10
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs	13.1017
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs	13.1018
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs	13.1019
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed	13.1014
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	13.1013
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances	13.1005
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness	13.1003
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities	13.1006
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	13.1007
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic and Other Physical Health Impairments	13.1008
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	13.1011

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.