2023 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Special Education Master's Degree 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 510 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best master's degree 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 Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the special ed master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Special Education
Our analysis found Bank Street College of Education to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Located in the large city of New York, Bank Street College of Education is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Bank Street College of Education
Request Information
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Teachers College at Columbia University is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Read full report on Special Education at Teachers College at Columbia University
Request Information
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gonzaga University is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Gonzaga is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.
Request Information
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Brandman University is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
Out of the 510 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The College of New Jersey landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
Fresno Pacific University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fresno.
Request Information
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the city of Seattle.
Request Information
Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Request Information
University of Scranton ranked #9 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Scranton.
Full Special Education at University of Scranton Report
Request Information
Johns Hopkins University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Read full report on Special Education at Johns Hopkins University
Request Information
Elizabethtown College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the suburb of Elizabethtown, Etown is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Elizabethtown College
Request Information
Manhattan College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. Manhattan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Riverdale.
Read full report on Special Education at Manhattan College
Request Information
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Request Information
Seattle University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.
Request Information
Westminster College Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Westminster New Wilmington is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of New Wilmington.
Request Information
Carroll University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Carroll U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waukesha.
Read full report on Special Education at Carroll University
Request Information
Vanderbilt University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Vanderbilt University
Request Information
Wisconsin Lutheran College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Request Information
University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. UST MN is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Full Special Education at University of St Thomas Minnesota Report
Request Information
Notre Dame de Namur University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the suburb of Belmont, NDNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Special Education at Notre Dame de Namur University Report
Request Information
Loyola Marymount University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Special Education at Loyola Marymount University
Request Information
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #22 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #23, Northwestern College did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Orange City.
Read full report on Special Education at Northwestern College
Request Information
With a ranking of #24, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the distant town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Request Information
With a ranking of #25, Saint Joseph’s University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, St. Joe's is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 510 different United States special education schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students that almost earned our Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools award.
Special Education by Region
View the Best Special Education Master's Degree 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.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.