2023 Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 510 schools in the United States to see which master's degree 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 Master's in Special Education
Our 2023 rankings named La Salle University the best value school in the United States for special education students working on their master’s degree. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at La Salle are $1,455 per year.
Full Special Education at La Salle University Report
Request Information
Out of the 510 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Cabrini University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Radnor, Cabrini University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cabrini University are $2,318 a year.
Full Special Education at Cabrini University Report
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Orange City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at NWC are $6,360 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Northwestern College
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of the Cumberlands. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the remote town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Cumberlands graduate students pay an average of $4,582 in tuition and fees each year.
Request Information
Out of the 510 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Morningside College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Morningside are $6,516 per year.
Full Special Education at Morningside College Report
Request Information
Universidad del Este landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. UNE is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Carolina.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNE are $3,552 a year.
Request Information
Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at BYU are $7,700 per year.
BYU also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full Special Education at Brigham Young University - Provo Report
Request Information
Concordia University, Irvine 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 large city of Irvine, Concordia University, Irvine 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 Concordia University, Irvine are $8,564 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Concordia University, Irvine is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list.
Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Irvine
Request Information
Western Governors 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 #9 on the list. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WGU are $7,790 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, WGU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list.
Read full report on Special Education at Western Governors University
Request Information
Flagler College - St Augustine landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Flagler St. Augustine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Saint Augustine.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Flagler St. Augustine are $6,864 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Flagler College - St Augustine
Request Information
Wisconsin Lutheran College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
WLC graduate students pay an average of $10,080 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, WLC also did well on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Special Education at Wisconsin Lutheran College
Request Information
Ashland University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Located in the fringe town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Ashland graduate students pay an average of $6,972 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Special Education at Ashland University
Request Information
Fitchburg State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Fitchburg State is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fitchburg.
Fitchburg State graduate students pay an average of $6,012 in tuition and fees each year.
Request Information
University of Scranton came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Scranton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at University of Scranton are $11,630 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, University of Scranton also did well on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Request Information
Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public college with a 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 20% of our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
Read full report on Special Education at Minnesota State University - Mankato
Request Information
Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
PLNU graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
PLNU also claimed a spot on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full Special Education at Point Loma Nazarene University Report
Request Information
McDaniel College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. McDaniel is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Westminster.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at McDaniel are $9,568 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, McDaniel also did well on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Request Information
Brandman University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Brandman are $12,720 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Brandman also did well on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Special Education at Brandman University Report
Request Information
MSU Texas landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Located in the city of Wichita Falls, MSU Texas is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
MSU Texas graduate students pay an average of $8,056 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Special Education at MSU Texas
Request Information
With a ranking of #20, Gordon College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Gordon College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wenham.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Gordon College are $6,400 per year.
Full Special Education at Gordon College Report
Request Information
Northwest Missouri State University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Located in the remote town of Maryville, Northwest is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Northwest are $7,064 a year.
Full Special Education at Northwest Missouri State University Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #22, Wilmington University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Wilmington University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of New Castle.
Wilmington University graduate students pay an average of $9,060 in tuition and fees each year.
Request Information
With a ranking of #23, Minot State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the remote town of Minot, MSU is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at MSU are $10,263 a year.
Read full report on Special Education at Minot State University
Request Information
Wayne State College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. WSC is a small public school located in the town of Wayne.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at WSC are $9,597 a year.
Full Special Education at Wayne State College Report
Request Information
Buena Vista 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 #25 on the list. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Storm Lake.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at BVU are $9,936 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, BVU also did well on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Special Education at Buena Vista University
Request InformationRest of the Top Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value 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
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools award.
Special Education by Region
View the Best Value 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
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 26 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.
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.