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Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

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2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

187 Colleges
$49,862 Avg Salary
$22,246 Avg Student Debt

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 2023 rankings named Minnesota State University - Mankato the best school in the United States for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

#2

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Out of the 187 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.

Read full report on Special Education at Johns Hopkins University

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 small suburb of Charlottesville.

Read More…

#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Purdue University - Main Campus is a great place for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

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 large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Saint Mary’s College of California

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.

Read full report on Special Education at Indiana University - Bloomington

#7

Towson University

Towson, MD

With a ranking of #7, Towson University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Towson is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Towson.

Read full report on Special Education at Towson University

#8

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Read full report on Special Education at George Mason University

Appalachian State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Appalachian State is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Boone.

Read full report on Special Education at Appalachian State University

#10

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Ball State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Ball State University

The College of New Jersey ranked #11 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Special Education at The College of New Jersey Report

#12

George Washington University

Washington, DC

With a ranking of #12, George Washington University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. GWU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.

Full Special Education at George Washington University Report

Illinois 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 #13 on the list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

Full Special Education at Illinois State University Report

#14

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Olivet Nazarene University

#15

Augusta University

Augusta, GA

With a ranking of #15, Augusta University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the midsize city of Augusta, Augusta University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Special Education at Augusta University Report

#16

Winona State University

Winona, MN

Winona State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Special Education at Winona State University Report

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 school with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Minot State University Report

#18

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida ranked #18 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Florida

#19

Viterbo University

La Crosse, WI

With a ranking of #19, Viterbo University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of La Crosse, Viterbo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read More…

Georgia College & State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Georgia College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Milledgeville.

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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. 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.

Full Special Education at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

University of Alaska Fairbanks ranked #22 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the small suburb of Fairbanks, UAF is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Special Education at University of Alaska Fairbanks Report

With a ranking of #23, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.

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The City College of New York landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. CCNY is a fairly large public school located in the city of New York.

Read More…

#25

Rowan University

Glassboro, NJ

Rowan 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 #25 on the list. Rowan is a large public school located in the large suburb of Glassboro.

Read full report on Special Education at Rowan University

Rest of the Top Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

#26

University of West Georgia

Carrollton, GA
#27

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

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

Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

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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