2023 Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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 Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 187 schools in the United States to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for special ed students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Special Education
Our analysis found Minnesota State University - Mankato to be the best value 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 fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Minnesota State Mankato also is in the top 10% of our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking.
Full Special Education at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Worcester State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Worcester State is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Worcester.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Worcester State are $5,796 per year.
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at Viterbo University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in the United States. Located in the city of La Crosse, Viterbo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Viterbo are $9,488 per year.
Viterbo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Minot State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MSU are $10,263 per year.
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The excellent graduate certificate programs at Concordia University, Nebraska helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in the United States. Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Seward.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Nebraska are $8,650 per year.
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With a ranking of #6, Concordia University, Saint Paul did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Concordia University, Saint Paul is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Concordia University, Saint Paul are $8,550 a year.
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Hamline University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate special education programs. Hamline is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Hamline are $10,402 a year.
Hamline excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list.
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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 #8 on the list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 per year.
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Olivet Nazarene University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Olivet Nazarene are $12,190 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Olivet Nazarene also is in the top 10% of our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking.
Full Special Education at Olivet Nazarene University Report
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With a ranking of #10, Fitchburg State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Fitchburg State is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fitchburg.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Fitchburg State are $6,012 per year.
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McDaniel College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. McDaniel is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Westminster.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at McDaniel are $9,568 per year.
McDaniel excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list.
Full Special Education at McDaniel College Report
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Winona State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Winona State graduate students pay an average of $12,836 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Winona State also is in the top 10% of our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking.
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Baldwin Wallace University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Berea.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Baldwin Wallace College are $11,363 per year.
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Alverno College 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 large city of Milwaukee, Alverno is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Alverno are $10,402 a year.
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Whitworth University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Whitworth is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Spokane.
Whitworth graduate students pay an average of $12,456 in tuition and fees each year.
Whitworth also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.
ASU - Skysong graduate students pay an average of $9,982 in tuition and fees each year.
ASU - Skysong also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Granite State College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the town of Concord, GSC is a public school with a small student population.
GSC graduate students pay an average of $10,620 in tuition and fees each year.
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The College of New Jersey ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at TCNJ are $15,031 per year.
TCNJ also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Montclair 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 #19 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public college with a very large student population.
Montclair State graduate students pay an average of $13,519 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Special Education at Montclair State University Report
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Liberty 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. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 per year.
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With a ranking of #21, Clarion University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the town of Clarion, Clarion University is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Clarion University are $13,862 a year.
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Midland University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the town of Fremont, Midland U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Midland U are $14,613 per year.
Midland U also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Mount St. Joseph University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the large suburb of Cincinnati, Mount St. Joe is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Mount St. Joe are $13,700 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Mount St. Joseph University
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Saint Cloud State University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at St. Cloud State University are $13,412 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Saint Cloud State University
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With a ranking of #25, Notre Dame of Maryland University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Baltimore, NDMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at NDMU are $13,711 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Notre Dame of Maryland University
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Special Education students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR |
| 29 | University of Lynchburg | Lynchburg, VA |
| 31 | National University | La Jolla, CA |
| 32 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 33 | Henderson State University | Arkadelphia, AR |
| 34 | University of West Alabama | Livingston, AL |
| 35 | Niagara University | Niagara University, NY |
| 35 | Mount Saint Mary’s University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 37 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 37 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
Special Education by Region
View the Best Value 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
Special Education Related Majors for 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.
- 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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