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2025 Best Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania

23 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,049 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$52,862 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 23 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Special Education Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,049 degrees in special education to qualified students.

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
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in special education needs to look into 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 #105 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means St. Joe's is a great university overall.

There were approximately 178 special education students who graduated with this degree at St. Joe's in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education degree program at Saint Joseph's University earn $3,205 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
5.1% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in special education needs to look into Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Kutztown. A Best Colleges rank of #616 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kutztown University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 78 special education students who graduated with this degree at Kutztown University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program make about $50,645 for their early career.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
29.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in special education has to take a look at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus. Located in the town of Indiana, IUP is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 54th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 95 special education students who graduated with this degree at IUP in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, special ed degree recipients typically make around $44,121 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in special education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
213 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$48,864 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in special education has to check out Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. SRU is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Slippery Rock. A Best Colleges rank of #621 out of 2,152 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 graduate with their degree from the special ed program report average early career wages of $48,864.

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

5
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$57,286 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were roughly 22 special education students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from Temple University get an earnings boost of approximately $4,424 above the average earnings of special education majors.

More information about a degree in special education from Temple University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$51,664 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 53rd out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 77 special education students who graduated with this degree at Millersville in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, special ed degree recipients typically make about $51,664 in their early careers.

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

7
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 #85 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.More information about a degree in special education from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
31st Most Popular In PA

University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Scranton. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Scranton is a great university overall.

There were about 10 special education students who graduated with this degree at University of Scranton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Scranton

9
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62nd Most Popular In PA

Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg. This university ranks 40th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
16.4% Growth in Graduates

East Stroudsburg University is a moderately-sized public university located in the fringe town of East Stroudsburg. This university ranks 58th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 73 special education students who graduated with this degree at East Stroudsburg University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, special ed degree recipients usually make an average of $50,327 in their early careers.

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

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.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 4,110
Maryland 279 337
New Jersey 273 722
District of Columbia 188 88
Delaware 175 165

View All Rankings >

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

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 1,546
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 275
Elementary Special Education 96
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 48
Other Special Education & Teaching 42
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness 16
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs 10
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 8
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 3
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 3

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 4,165
Educational Administration 1,915
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,893
General Education 927
Student Counseling 509
Curriculum & Instruction 447
Instructional Media Design 445
Other Education 309
Teaching English or French 245
Educational Assessment 68

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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