2025 Best Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region
15
Colleges in the Southwest Region
5,814
Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$52,862
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in
special education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #29 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 15 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 5,814 degrees in special education to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Special Education School
The special ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Special Education rankings. We derive our Best Overall Special Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Special Education Rankings by Degree Level
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 the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
Best Schools for Special Education in the Southwest Region
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the special ed degree levels they offer.
10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Special Ed
Every student pursuing a degree in special education has to look into Northern Arizona University. NAU is a very large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff. A Best Colleges rank of #221 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NAU is a great university overall.
There were about 187 special education students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $49,281 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in special education from Northern Arizona University
Any student pursuing a degree in special education has to take a look at Grand Canyon University. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the city of Phoenix. A Best Colleges rank of #144 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.
There were roughly 1850 special education students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program report average early career income of $50,874.
More information about a degree in special education from Grand Canyon University
Arizona State University - Tempe is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in special education. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.
There were about 185 special education students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make around $51,319 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in special education from Arizona State University - Tempe
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In OK
66
Special Ed Degrees Awarded
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in special education. University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.
There were approximately 66 special education students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Located in the suburb of Las Cruces, NMSU Main Campus is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 24 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.
There were about 27 special education students who graduated with this degree at NMSU Main Campus in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $49,609.
More information about a degree in special education from New Mexico State University - Main Campus
ASU - Skysong is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale. A Best Colleges rank of #403 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ASU - Skysong is a great university overall.
There were approximately 1523 special education students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Skysong in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from Arizona State University - Skysong make $3,054 more than the typical special ed grad.
More information about a degree in special education from Arizona State University - Skysong
University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.
There were about 90 special education students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, special ed degree recipients typically earn around $43,103 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in special education from University of Arizona
Located in the large city of Albuquerque, UNM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 24 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.
There were about 38 special education students who graduated with this degree at UNM in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, special ed degree recipients generally earn about $46,248 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in special education from University of New Mexico - Main Campus
Located in the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico Highlands University is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 4th out of 24 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.
There were roughly 34 special education students who graduated with this degree at New Mexico Highlands University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $52,709 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in special education from New Mexico Highlands University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In NM
35
Special Ed Degrees Awarded
ENMU - Main Campus is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Portales. This university ranks 12th out of 24 schools for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.
There were about 35 special education students who graduated with this degree at ENMU - Main Campus in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in special education from Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
