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Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

28 Colleges
$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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Illinois 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 Illinois.

Our analysis found National Louis University to be the most popular school for special education students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois. NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

About 76% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 24% are male.

Read full report on Special Education at National Louis University

The in-demand master’s degree programs at University of Illinois at Chicago helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular special education schools in Illinois. UIC is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago.

About 87% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 13% are male.

Full Special Education at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

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

Read full report on Special Education at Northern Illinois University

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means DePaul University is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 45 students majoring in special ed at DePaul, 22% are male and 78% are female.

Full Special Education at DePaul University Report

#5

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Aurora University is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Aurora.

Of the 42 students majoring in special ed at Aurora, 26% are male and 74% are female.

Full Special Education at Aurora University Report

#6

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL

With a ranking of #6, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of River Forest.

Of the 32 students majoring in special ed at Concordia University, Chicago, 16% are male and 84% are female.

Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#7

Dominican University

River Forest, IL

Dominican University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Dominican U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 81% of the special ed majors at the school.

Full Special Education at Dominican University Report

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

Of the 22 students majoring in special ed at Illinois State, 9% are male and 91% are female.

Read More…

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.

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

Full Special Education at Northeastern Illinois University Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree special education programs. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 95% of the special ed majors at the school.

Read More…

Best Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 28 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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