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Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

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

Finding the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate School for You

With 1,854 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #25 most popular major in Pennsylvania.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

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 in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Pennsylvania to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania

The following schools top our list of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Colleges.

Top 10 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

Our 2023 rankings named West Chester University of Pennsylvania the best school in Pennsylvania for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a large student population.

Full Special Education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Clarion University is a small public school located in the remote town of Clarion.

Read More…

#3

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drexel University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at Drexel University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Edinboro is a small public school located in the fringe town of Edinboro.

Read full report on Special Education at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

#5

Arcadia University

Glenside, PA

Out of the 11 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Arcadia University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Arcadia is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Glenside.

Full Special Education at Arcadia University Report

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Pitt is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

After completing their Graduate Certificate, special ed graduates from Pitt carry an average student debtload of $23,310.

Full Special Education at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

California University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Cal U is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of California.

Read full report on Special Education at California University of Pennsylvania

#8

Marywood University

Scranton, PA

Marywood 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 #8 on the list. Marywood is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Scranton.

Read More…

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. IUP is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Indiana.

Full Special Education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Report

#10

Carlow University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carlow 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 #10 on the list. Carlow is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

Read full report on Special Education at Carlow University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 4,329
Maryland 416
New Jersey 799
District of Columbia 101
Delaware 165

One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar 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 11 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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