2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools
Finding the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate School for You
In 2020-2021, 36,792 people earned a degree or certificate in special education, making the major the #29 most popular in the United States.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. This report analyzed 187 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best graduate certificate programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States
Check out the special ed graduate certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Special Education
Our analysis found Minnesota State University - Mankato to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in the United States. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Full Special Education at Johns Hopkins University Report
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Out of the 187 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 3 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Mary’s College of California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Special Education at Saint Mary’s College of California Report
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Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.
Full Special Education at Indiana University - Bloomington Report
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Towson University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Towson is a very large public school located in the small city of Towson.
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With a ranking of #8, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. GMU is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.
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Appalachian State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Appalachian State is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Boone.
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Ball State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public school with a very large student population.
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The College of New Jersey did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Special Education at The College of New Jersey
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George Washington University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #12 on the list. GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
Read full report on Special Education at George Washington University
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Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.
Read full report on Special Education at Illinois State University
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Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Augusta University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Augusta, Augusta University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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Winona State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Special Education at Winona State University Report
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Minot State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public college with a small student population.
Full Special Education at Minot State University Report
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With a ranking of #18, University of Florida did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a very large student population.
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Viterbo University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the city of La Crosse, Viterbo is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Special Education at Viterbo University Report
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Georgia College & State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #20 on the list. Georgia College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Milledgeville.
Full Special Education at Georgia College & State University Report
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #21 on the list. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the city of Minneapolis.
On average, special ed graduates from UMN Twin Cities take out $21,104 in student loans while working on their Graduate Certificate.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
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University of Alaska Fairbanks came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the small suburb of Fairbanks, UAF is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
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The City College of New York did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #24 on the list. CCNY is a fairly large public school located in the city of New York.
Full Special Education at The City College of New York Report
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Rowan University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Rowan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Glassboro.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students that almost earned our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Hamline University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 30 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 31 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 32 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 33 | Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ |
| 34 | Midland University | Fremont, NE |
| 35 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 36 | Whitworth University | Spokane, WA |
| 37 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
Special Education by Region
View the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Special Education Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Special Ed
Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Special Ed
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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