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.
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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 city of New York, Bank Street College of Education is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Bank Street College of Education
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.
Full Special Education at Teachers College at Columbia University Report
Out of the 510 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Gonzaga University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.
Out of the 510 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandman University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The College of New Jersey. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the 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
Fresno Pacific 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 #6 on the list. Fresno Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fresno.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus 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 #7 on the list. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Seattle.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Special Education at Point Loma Nazarene University Report
University of Scranton landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Scranton.
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 large city of Baltimore.
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 large suburb of Elizabethtown, Etown is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Manhattan 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 #12 on the list. Manhattan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Riverdale.
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #13 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Full Special Education at California State University - Los Angeles Report
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 large city of Seattle.
Westminster College Pennsylvania landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. Westminster New Wilmington is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of New Wilmington.
Full Special Education at Westminster College Pennsylvania Report
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.
Vanderbilt University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
With a ranking of #18, Wisconsin Lutheran College 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 Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
With a ranking of #19, University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
Read full report on Special Education at University of St Thomas Minnesota
Notre Dame de Namur University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Belmont, NDNU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Notre Dame de Namur University
Loyola Marymount University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Special Education at Loyola Marymount University
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 fairly large student population.
Full Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report
Northwestern College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. 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
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.
Saint Joseph’s University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. Located in the city of Philadelphia, St. Joe's is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Rest 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.
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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.
Featured Schools
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