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Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

22 Colleges
$14,242 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,761 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,153 degrees and certificates were awarded to special education students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #32 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 22 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for special ed students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for special ed majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 10 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois State are $9,773 per year.

Illinois State did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Full Special Education at Illinois State University Report

#2

Governors State University

University Park, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Governors State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

GSU graduate students pay an average of $8,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at Governors State University

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Out of the 22 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

EIU graduate students pay an average of $10,640 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Eastern Illinois University Report

#4

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Trinity Christian College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large suburb of Palos Heights, Trinity Christian is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Trinity Christian are $10,708 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Trinity Christian College

#5

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL

The excellent master’s degree programs at Concordia University, Chicago helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in Illinois. Concordia University, Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of River Forest.

Concordia University, Chicago graduate students pay an average of $9,378 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago Report

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.

Northeastern Illinois University graduate students pay an average of $9,428 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Northern Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 per year.

Full Special Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#9

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL

Lewis 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. Lewis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Romeoville.

Lewis graduate students pay an average of $14,960 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

University of St Francis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Joliet.

University of Saint Francis graduate students pay an average of $13,839 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

University of Saint Francis also made our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #4.

Read full report on Special Education at University of St Francis

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 607
Ohio 1,329
Indiana 2,282
Wisconsin 598

Special Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

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 22 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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