2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region
96
Ranked Colleges
2,822
Degrees Awarded
$48,365
Avg Salary

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Master’s 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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 2,822 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,182 and $43,142 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 96 colleges that offer a degree in special education. That schools that top this list have a program in special education in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Special Education in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ball State University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region. Ball State University is located in Muncie, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,149 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
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 full report on Special Education at Ball State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Notre Dame College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 14 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at Notre Dame College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Muskingum University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in New Concord, Ohio, and it awarded 43 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Muskingum University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Superior. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Superior is a small school located in Superior, Wisconsin that handed out 41 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Superior
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cardinal Stritch University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 18 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 full report on Special Education at Cardinal Stritch
Mount Vernon Nazarene University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and it awarded 23 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full MVNU Special Education Report
National Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. NLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 84 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at National Louis University
With a ranking of #8, University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified masters’s special ed students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne
Carroll University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and it awarded 25 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Full Carroll University Special Education Report
American College of Education landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 204 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
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 American College of Education
With a ranking of #11, Concordia University, Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Concordia University, Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #12, Marian University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Marian is located in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Marian
With a ranking of #13, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 34 diplomas to qualified masters’s special ed students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Special Education at Dominican U
Trinity Christian College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Palos Heights, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Read more about Special Education at Trinity Christian
With a ranking of #15, Greenville University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Greenville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s special ed students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at Greenville
Lourdes University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Sylvania, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 9 students 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 full report on Special Education at Lourdes
Malone University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Malone University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Canton, Ohio. It awarded 2 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Malone University Special Education Report
Marian University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Marian University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read more about Special Education at Marian University
Aurora University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 27 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at Aurora
Xavier University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. Xavier University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 30 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Xavier Special Education Report
Concordia University, Chicago came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 34 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago
With a ranking of #22, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small public school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified masters’s special ed students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at CSU
With a ranking of #23, Spring Arbor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Spring Arbor University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spring Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 38 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at Spring Arbor University
Baldwin Wallace University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Baldwin Wallace University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Berea, Ohio. It awarded 7 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at Baldwin Wallace University
With a ranking of #25, Ashland University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Ashland, Ohio, and it awarded 29 masters’s special ed degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at Ashland University