2024 Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11 associate degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

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:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to special education students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of special education students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt special education students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized special education related body.

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

 

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

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

Top Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Special Ed

1

Minot State University
Minot, ND

Minot State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in special education. Located in the town of Minot, MSU is a public university with a small student population.More information about a associate in special education from Minot State University

2

St Cloud Technical and Community College
Saint Cloud, MN

It's difficult to beat St Cloud Technical and Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in special education. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in special education from St Cloud Technical and Community College

 

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
Minnesota	151	11
South Dakota	93	0
North Dakota	92	0

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Rankings in Majors Related to Special Ed

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	6
General Special Education	5

Majors Similar to Special Ed

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Subject Specific	463
Teacher Education Grade Specific	402
General Education	106
Teaching Assistants	42

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks. More about our data sources and methodologies.