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2024 Best Special Education Doctor's Degree Schools

59 Colleges in the United States
204 Doctor's Degrees
$91,539 Avg Early-Career Salary
Special Education is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #83 most popular doctor's degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 59 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 204 doctor's degrees in special education to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Special Education Doctor's Degree Schools The special ed doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for special education students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Special Ed Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Special Education Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.


 

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Special Education in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for special education students seeking a a doctor's degree.

10 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Special Ed

1
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
9 Annual Graduates

Vanderbilt University is a wonderful option for students interested in a doctor's degree in special education. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a doctorate in special education from Vanderbilt University

1

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in special education has to look into Teachers College at Columbia University. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Doctorate graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $91,539 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a doctorate in special education from Teachers College at Columbia University

2
5 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in special education needs to take a look at George Washington University. GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a doctorate in special education from George Washington University

3
4 Annual Graduates

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a good option for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in special education. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in special education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
5 Annual Graduates

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in special education. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in special education from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

5
3 Annual Graduates

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park.More information about a doctorate in special education from University of Maryland - College Park

6
3 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in special education from University of Georgia

7
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in special education from Illinois State University

8
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in special education from University of Florida

9
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
1 Annual Graduates

Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a doctorate in special education from Syracuse University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Special Education Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
10 Boston University Boston, MA
11 Utah State University Logan, UT
12 Auburn University Auburn, AL
13 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
14 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN

Special Education by Region

View the Best Special Education Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 176
Other Special Education & Teaching 10
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 9
Education of the Deaf 4
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities 3
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 7,684
General Education 2,177
Curriculum & Instruction 1,434
Teacher Education Subject Specific 495
Teacher Education Grade Specific 431
Other Education 426
Student Counseling 418
Educational Assessment 270
Instructional Media Design 205
Education Philosophy 120

Notes and References

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