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Elementary Special Education

Types of Degrees Elementary Special Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Elementary Special Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	613
Master’s Degree	1,442

What Elementary Special Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in Elementary Special Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Elementary Special Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Elementary Special Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Elementary Special Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Elementary Special Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Elementary Special Education graduates include:

• Special Education Professor
• Science Education Professor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Educational Leadership Professor
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Primary Education Professor
• Music Education Professor
• Instructor
• Secondary Education Professor
• Mathematics Education Professor
• Literacy Education Professor
• Education Faculty Member
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Educational Teaching Instructor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	78.6%
Master’s degree	12.9%
Bachelor’s degree	6.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Elementary Special Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 86.2% of Elementary Special Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,771	86.2%
Men	284	13.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,389	67.6%
Asian	70	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	322	15.7%
Black or African American	180	8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	35	1.7%
Race Unknown	46	2.2%
International Students	8	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Elementary Special Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Elementary 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 Elementary Special Education Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Elementary 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
Bachelor’s	4	3
Master’s	13	4

^{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 Elementary Special Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Elementary 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 Early Childhood Special Education Programs	13.1015
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.