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2024 Best Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania

45 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,049 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$44,241 Avg Early-Career Salary
Special Education is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #29 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 45 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,049 degrees in special education during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Special Education School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Special Education Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Special Ed
Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Special Ed

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Special Education in Pennsylvania

The schools below may not offer all types of special ed degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Special Ed

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
140 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$47,077 Median Starting Salary

West Chester University of Pennsylvania is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in special education. WCUPA is a large public university located in the large suburb of West Chester. A Best Colleges rank of #241 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WCUPA is a great university overall.

There were about 140 special education students who graduated with this degree at WCUPA in the most recent year we have data available. Special Education degree recipients from West Chester University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of about $2,836 above the average income of special education majors.

More information about a degree in special education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in special education needs to take a look at Saint Joseph's University. St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #157 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means St. Joe's is a great university overall.

There were roughly 178 special education students who graduated with this degree at St. Joe's in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from Saint Joseph's University earn $4,904 more than the typical special ed grad.

More information about a degree in special education from Saint Joseph’s University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$43,694 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Millersville University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a degree in special education. Located in the large suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 50th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 77 special education students who graduated with this degree at Millersville in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program make an average of $43,694 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in special education from Millersville University of Pennsylvania

4
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62nd Most Popular In PA

It's hard to beat Messiah University if you wish to pursue a degree in special education. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #555 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Messiah is a great university overall.

There were approximately 13 special education students who graduated with this degree at Messiah in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Messiah University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
85.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.More information about a degree in special education from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
25.0% Growth in Graduates
$44,750 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Annville, LVC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #621 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means LVC is a great college overall.

There were about 20 special education students who graduated with this degree at LVC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program make around $44,750 for their early career.

More information about a degree in special education from Lebanon Valley College

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
213 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$39,646 Median Starting Salary

SRU is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Slippery Rock. A Best Colleges rank of #546 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SRU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 213 special education students who graduated with this degree at SRU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program make about $39,646 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in special education from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

8
Duquesne crest
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
29th Most Popular In PA

Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #228 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duquesne is a great university overall.

There were about 12 special education students who graduated with this degree at Duquesne in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Duquesne University

9
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA

Located in the city of Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #71 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Lehigh is a great university overall.

There were about 20 special education students who graduated with this degree at Lehigh in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from Lehigh University make $4,719 more than the typical special ed student.

More information about a degree in special education from Lehigh University

9

Best Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
New York3334,110
Maryland279337
New Jersey273722
District of Columbia18888
Delaware175165

View All Rankings >

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

Special Ed Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Special Education1,546
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs275
Elementary Special Education96
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism48
Other Special Education & Teaching42
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness16
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs10
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs8
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented3
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances3

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific4,165
Educational Administration1,915
Teacher Education Subject Specific1,893
General Education927
Student Counseling509
Curriculum & Instruction447
Instructional Media Design445
Other Education309
Teaching English or French245
Educational Assessment68

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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