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2025 Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools

4 Colleges in the United States
1,317 Associate Degrees
$32,829 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your associate degree in special education, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #77 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 4 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,317 associate degrees in special education during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Associate Degree

Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools The special ed associate 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good 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 ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

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 associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

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

The special ed school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools.

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

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in special education.

Top Schools for an Associate in Special Ed

1
8 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Miami Dade College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in special education. Located in the large city of Miami, MDC is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in special education from Miami Dade College

2
26 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat College of Southern Nevada if you wish to pursue an associate degree in special education. CSN is a very large public college located in the large city of Las Vegas.More information about a associate in special education from College of Southern Nevada

3

Chemeketa Community College is a good option for individuals interested in an associate degree in special education. Chemeketa Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Salem.

Students who graduate with their associate from the special ed program report average early career income of $32,829.

More information about a associate in special education from Chemeketa Community College

4
5 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in special education needs to look into Normandale Community College. Normandale Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a associate in special education from Normandale Community College

Special Education by Region

View the Best Special Education Associate 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
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 1,173
General Special Education 79
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 42
Education of the Deaf 18
Elementary Special Education 2
Other Special Education & Teaching 2
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 1

Majors Similar to Special Ed

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 13,379
General Education 1,958
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,042
Teaching Assistants 811
Instructional Media Design 84
Educational Administration 55
Other Education 7
Multilingual Education 5
Teaching English or French 4

Notes and References

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