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2025 Best Special Education Schools in South Dakota

4 Colleges in South Dakota
141 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools in South Dakota to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 141 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 South Dakota 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

Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Special Education Schools in South Dakota ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 South Dakota

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.

Top South Dakota Schools in Special Ed

1
Augustana Sioux Falls crest
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In SD
44 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Augustana University if you wish to pursue a degree in special education. Located in the city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 9th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were approximately 44 special education students who graduated with this degree at Augustana Sioux Falls in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Augustana University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
31.4% Growth in Graduates

University of South Dakota is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in special education. Located in the town of Vermillion, USD is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #601 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 35 special education students who graduated with this degree at USD in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, special ed degree recipients generally make around $46,439 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from University of South Dakota

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In SD

Any student pursuing a degree in special education has to take a look at Northern State University. NSU is a small public university located in the town of Aberdeen. This university ranks 10th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were roughly 19 special education students who graduated with this degree at NSU in the most recent year we have data available.

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

4

Dakota State University is a good option for students interested in a degree in special education. Dakota State is a small public university located in the distant town of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #542 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Dakota State is a great university overall.

There were about 22 special education students who graduated with this degree at Dakota State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $42,318.

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

Best Special Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 631
Missouri 283 492
Kansas 266 396
Iowa 264 180
Nebraska 238 338
North Dakota 210 181

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 117
Other Special Education & Teaching 24

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 481
Teacher Education Subject Specific 208
General Education 173
Educational Administration 122
Student Counseling 45
Curriculum & Instruction 34
Multilingual Education 16
Instructional Media Design 16
Teaching English or French 3
Other Education 1

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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