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Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools

2023 Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools

630 Colleges
$49,761 Avg Salary

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.

The Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 630 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Special Education program at each school on the list.

Check out the special ed master's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Our 2023 rankings named Grand Canyon University the most popular school in the United States for special education students working on their master’s degree. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.

About 85% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 15% are male.

Full Special Education at Grand Canyon University Report

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#2

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Out of the 630 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Ball State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 1,369 students majoring in special ed at Ball State, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Read full report on Special Education at Ball State University

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Arizona State University - Skysong is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a very large student population.

Women make up 87% of the special ed majors at the school.

Full Special Education at Arizona State University - Skysong Report

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#4

Touro College

New York, NY

Out of the 630 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Touro College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of New York, Touro is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 85% of the special ed majors at the school.

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#5

National University

La Jolla, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. National University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.

About 72% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 28% are male.

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#6

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

With a ranking of #6, Western Governors University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City.

About 86% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 14% are male.

Full Special Education at Western Governors University Report

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#7

Lamar University

Beaumont, TX

With a ranking of #7, Lamar University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 7% are male.

Read full report on Special Education at Lamar University

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#8

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

With a ranking of #8, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Of the 326 students majoring in special ed at GMU, 9% are male and 91% are female.

Read full report on Special Education at George Mason University

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#9

Hunter College

New York, NY

Hunter College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, Hunter is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 320 students majoring in special ed at Hunter, 20% are male and 80% are female.

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#10

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Of the 306 students majoring in special ed at Liberty University, 16% are male and 84% are female.

Read full report on Special Education at Liberty University

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The University of West Florida landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree special education programs. Located in the city of Pensacola, UWF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 86% of the special ed majors at the school.

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#12

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY

With a ranking of #12, Brooklyn College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Brooklyn College is a large public school located in the large city of Brooklyn.

About 69% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 31% are male.

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#13

Endicott College

Beverly, MA

Endicott College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Beverly, Endicott is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 86% of the special ed majors at the school.

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#14

Pace University - New York

New York, NY

With a ranking of #14, Pace University - New York did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Pace University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Of the 196 students majoring in special ed at Pace University, 31% are male and 69% are female.

Full Special Education at Pace University - New York Report

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#15

Daemen College

Amherst, NY

With a ranking of #15, Daemen College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Daemen College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Amherst.

Of the 187 students majoring in special ed at Daemen College, 16% are male and 84% are female.

Full Special Education at Daemen College Report

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#16

LIU Post

Brookville, NY

LIU Post ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Brookville, LIU Post is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

About 73% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 27% are male.

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With a ranking of #17, Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.

About 94% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 6% are male.

Full Special Education at Arkansas State University - Main Campus Report

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University of Northern Colorado did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public college with a large student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 7% are male.

Full Special Education at University of Northern Colorado Report

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#19

American International College

Springfield, MA

American International College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree special education programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, AIC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 77% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 23% are male.

Read full report on Special Education at American International College

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With a ranking of #20, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 86% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 14% are male.

Full Special Education at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Report

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#21

American College of Education

Indianapolis, IN

American College of Education came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, American College of Education is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 88% of the special ed majors at the school.

Read full report on Special Education at American College of Education

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#22

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #22, Saint Joseph’s University did quite well on this year’s most popular 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 school with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 88% of the special ed majors at the school.

Read full report on Special Education at Saint Joseph’s University

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#23

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the city of Grand Forks, UND is a public school with a large student population.

About 90% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 10% are male.

Read full report on Special Education at University of North Dakota

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With a ranking of #24, St. Joseph’s College - New York did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, SJC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 88% of the special ed majors at the school.

Full Special Education at St. Joseph’s College - New York Report

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#25

Wilmington University

New Castle, DE

Wilmington University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree special education programs. Wilmington University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of New Castle.

Of the 119 students majoring in special ed at Wilmington University, 17% are male and 83% are female.

Full Special Education at Wilmington University Report

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#30

University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg, KY
#30

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX
#33

University of West Alabama

Livingston, AL
#35

Brandman University

Irvine, CA
#36

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, MA
#37

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS
#38

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA
#39

Morningside College

Sioux City, IA
#43

Kean University

Union, NJ
#45

Georgetown College

Georgetown, KY
#47

Queens College

Queens, NY
#47

Cambridge College

Boston, MA
#47

William Carey University

Hattiesburg, MS

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 630 different United States special education schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Molloy College Rockville Centre, NY
52 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
53 Simmons University Boston, MA
54 California University of Pennsylvania California, PA
55 University of Saint Joseph West Hartford, CT
56 Lesley University Cambridge, MA
56 Lehman College Bronx, NY
56 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
56 New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ
60 Manhattanville College Purchase, NY
61 Merrimack College North Andover, MA
62 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
63 University of Redlands Redlands, CA
63 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
65 Fordham University Bronx, NY
65 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
67 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
68 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
69 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
69 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
71 Radford University Radford, VA
72 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
72 Teachers College at Columbia University New York, NY
72 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
75 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
75 Mississippi College Clinton, MS
77 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
77 Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Winona, MN
79 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
80 Roberts Wesleyan College Rochester, NY
81 Bank Street College of Education New York, NY
82 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
82 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT
82 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
82 SUNY Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY
82 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
87 Portland State University Portland, OR
87 George Washington University Washington, DC
87 Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR
87 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
87 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
87 Capella University Minneapolis, MN
93 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
94 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
94 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
94 University of Houston - Victoria Victoria, TX
94 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Special Education students that almost earned our Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
98 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead, MN
99 University of St. Thomas Houston, TX
100 University of Wisconsin - Superior Superior, WI
100 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
100 Emporia State University Emporia, KS
100 Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA
104 DePaul University Chicago, IL
104 Towson University Towson, MD
104 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
107 University of North Texas Denton, TX
108 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
109 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
109 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
109 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
109 Aurora University Aurora, IL
109 Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA
114 Neumann University Aston, PA
115 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
115 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
115 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
115 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY
119 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
119 Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO
119 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
119 Buffalo State Buffalo, NY
123 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
123 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS
123 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
123 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
123 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX

Special Education by Region

View the Most Popular 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

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 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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