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Secondary Special Education

Types of Degrees Secondary Special Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Secondary Special Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	22
Master’s Degree	811

What Secondary Special Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Secondary Special Education develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Secondary Special Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Secondary Special Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Secondary Special Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Secondary Special Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Secondary Special Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Secondary Special Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Secondary Special Education graduates include:

• Professor
• Education Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Visual Education Teacher
• Education Instructor
• Instructor
• Outdoor Education Instructor
• Educational Teaching Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Lecturer
• Adult Basic Education Instructor
• Secondary Education Professor
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Associate Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Secondary Special Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	65.4%
Master’s degree	18.3%
Bachelor’s degree	11.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Secondary Special Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.3% of Secondary Special Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	577	69.3%
Men	256	30.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Secondary Special Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	378	45.4%
Asian	50	6.0%
Hispanic or Latino	166	19.9%
Black or African American	199	23.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	10	1.2%
Race Unknown	12	1.4%
International Students	16	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Secondary Special Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Secondary Special Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,981
4 years	$54,220
5 years	$59,983

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,983 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Secondary Special Education Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Secondary Special Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Secondary Special Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Secondary Special Education graduates earn a median of $54,220 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Special Education and Teaching	13.10
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	13.1015
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs	13.1017
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs	13.1018
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed	13.1014
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	13.1013
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances	13.1005
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness	13.1003
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities	13.1006
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	13.1007
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic and Other Physical Health Impairments	13.1008
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	13.1011

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.