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2024 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

50 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,597 Master's Degrees
$46,221 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #8 in popularity, special education is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 50 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,597 master's degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of special education for getting your master's degree school matters. 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

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master'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 master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

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 schools for special education students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in the Plains States Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in special education.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Master's in Special Ed

1

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in special education needs to take a look at University of St Thomas Minnesota. Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Special Education master's degree recipients from University of St Thomas Minnesota receive an earnings boost of about $3,260 above the typical earnings of special education graduates.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of St Thomas Minnesota

2

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in special education. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $48,055 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3

It is difficult to beat University of North Dakota if you want to pursue a master's degree in special education. Located in the small city of Grand Forks, UND is a public university with a large student population.

Those special education students who get their master's degree from University of North Dakota earn $2,217 more than the standard special ed grad.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of North Dakota

4
Morningside crest
Morningside College
Sioux City, IA

Morningside College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in special education. Located in the city of Sioux City, Morningside is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Special Education master's degree recipients from Morningside College get an earnings boost of about $5,672 above the typical income of special education graduates.

More information about a master’s in special education from Morningside College

5

Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public university with a large student population.

Special Education master's degree recipients from Minnesota State University - Mankato receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,045 over the average earnings of special education majors.

More information about a master’s in special education from Minnesota State University - Mankato

6
Augustana Sioux Falls crest
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD

Located in the midsize city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in special education from Augustana University

7
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS

KU is a very large public university located in the city of Lawrence.

After graduating, special ed master's recipients typically make about $48,138 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of Kansas

8
UMary crest
University of Mary
Bismarck, ND
20 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Bismarck, UMary is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in special education from University of Mary

9
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in special education from Minot State University

10

Mizzou is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbia.

Students who graduate with their master's from the special ed program report average early career wages of $39,943.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of Missouri - Columbia

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 193 302
Minnesota 174 464
Iowa 154 150
Kansas 149 383
Nebraska 123 131
North Dakota 115 156
South Dakota 89 11

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

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 1,221
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 95
Other Special Education & Teaching 79
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 44
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 37
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 33
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 22
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 18
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 18
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities 11

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 2,955
Teacher Education Grade Specific 2,474
Curriculum & Instruction 2,380
General Education 2,337
Student Counseling 1,502
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,213
Instructional Media Design 504
Teaching English or French 219
Other Education 126
Educational Assessment 45

Notes and References

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