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2025 Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region

82 Colleges in the Southeast Region
5,776 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.

College Factual reviewed 82 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of special education. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,776 degrees in special education annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region 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 the Southeast Region 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 the Southeast Region

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. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

16 Top Southeast Region Schools in Special Ed

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
385 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$62,212 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a degree in special education. GMU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Fairfax. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were about 385 special education students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from George Mason University make $9,350 more than the typical special ed grad.

More information about a degree in special education from George Mason University

2
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
13.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in special education needs to check out University of Florida. Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were approximately 101 special education students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program state that they receive average early career earnings of $51,147.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$47,995 Median Starting Salary

University of Georgia is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in special education. Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 75 special education students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, special ed degree recipients typically earn around $47,995 in the first five years of their career.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
114 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
26.3% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of North Carolina at Charlotte if you wish to pursue a degree in special education. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 114 special education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn around $46,282 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in special education from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$44,185 Median Starting Salary

ECU is a very large public university located in the small city of Greenville. This university ranks 7th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 53 special education students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program report average early career income of $44,185.

More information about a degree in special education from East Carolina University

6
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
453 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$48,010 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 452.99999999999994 special education students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, special ed degree recipients usually make around $48,010 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in special education from Liberty University

7
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In FL

Located in the midsize city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 24 special education students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Florida State University

8
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
7.2% Growth in Graduates

Auburn is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Auburn. A Best Colleges rank of #169 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Auburn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 97 special education students who graduated with this degree at Auburn in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn an average of $46,540 for their early career.

More information about a degree in special education from Auburn University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
18.6% Growth in Graduates

UA is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tuscaloosa. A Best Colleges rank of #180 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UA is a great university overall.

There were about 70 special education students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent data year. After graduating, special ed degree recipients usually earn about $45,631 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in special education from The University of Alabama

10
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In AR
52 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #239 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UARK is a great university overall.

There were approximately 52 special education students who graduated with this degree at UARK in the most recent data year.

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

11
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
63 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$44,664 Median Starting Salary

UofM is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Memphis. This university ranks 12th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 63 special education students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent data year. After graduating, special ed degree recipients usually earn around $44,664 in their early careers.

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

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$59,125 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 17th out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were about 53 special education students who graduated with this degree at Georgia State in the most recent year we have data available. Special Education degree recipients from Georgia State University earn a boost of about $6,263 above the average earnings of special education graduates.

More information about a degree in special education from Georgia State University

13
Lee University crest
Lee University
Cleveland, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TN

Located in the city of Cleveland, Lee University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 17th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 13 special education students who graduated with this degree at Lee University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Lee University

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$50,720 Median Starting Salary

A-State is a large public university located in the small city of Jonesboro. This university ranks 4th out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arkansas.

There were approximately 157 special education students who graduated with this degree at A-State in the most recent data year. After graduating, special ed degree recipients generally earn about $50,720 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in special education from Arkansas State University - Main Campus

15
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SC

Clemson is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Clemson. A Best Colleges rank of #149 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.

There were approximately 29 special education students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Clemson University

16
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In AR
13.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Arkansas.

There were about 22 special education students who graduated with this degree at Harding in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Harding University

Rest of the Top Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Special Education Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
17 High Point University High Point, NC
18 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
19 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
20 University of Mississippi University, MS
21 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
22 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
23 Florida International University Miami, FL
24 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
25 Elon University Elon, NC
26 Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA
27 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 423
Florida 282 999
North Carolina 279 372
Virginia 274 994
Tennessee 269 344
South Carolina 248 255
Kentucky 244 573
Louisiana 242 68
Mississippi 234 269
Arkansas 234 274
Alabama 233 404
West Virginia 207 46

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 4,426
Other Special Education & Teaching 301
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 280
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 190
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 144
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 81
Education of the Deaf 73
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 73
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness 61
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 56

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 30,056
Educational Administration 12,251
Teacher Education Subject Specific 9,842
Curriculum & Instruction 5,366
Student Counseling 4,449
General Education 4,289
Instructional Media Design 1,994
Other Education 1,497
Teaching English or French 947
Educational Assessment 320

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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