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2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region

14 Ranked Colleges
44 Degrees Awarded
$30,000 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2021-2022, 35,973 people earned their degree in special education, making the major the 29th most popular in the United States. In , special education graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $45,680 and had an average of $27,516 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 6,161 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,394 and $26,769 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 44 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,470 and $126,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in special education. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in special education.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region doctor’s degree special ed students.

Top 14 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s special ed degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Illinois State

2

Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Toledo landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Toledo is a public institution located in Toledo, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at University of Toledo

3
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ball State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Muncie, Indiana, this fairly large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s special ed students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at Ball State University

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified doctorate’s special ed students in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at UIUC

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s special ed degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Special Education Report

6
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. WMU is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 2 doctorate’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Western Michigan University

7

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Special Education Report

8

With a ranking of #8, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s special ed degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Special Education at Kent State

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Special Education at Michigan State

9

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s special ed degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Special Education at SIUC

9

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Special Education at Indiana University - Bloomington

9
Cardinal Stritch crest
Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Cardinal Stritch University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cardinal Stritch University is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 doctorate’s special ed degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Special Education at Cardinal Stritch

9

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school handed out 151 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s special ed students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full UC Special Education Report

9
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Northwestern Special Education Report

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