2025 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Virginia
Ranked #8 in popularity,
special education is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual reviewed 6 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of special education. Combined, these schools handed out 710 master's degrees in special education to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of special education for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
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 master's 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 master's 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 master's degree.
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 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in Virginia
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in special education.
Top Virginia Schools for a Master's in Special Ed
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in special education needs to check out George Mason University. GMU is a very large public university located in the suburb of Fairfax.
Master's recipients from the special education program at George Mason University make $7,502 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in special education from George Mason University
It is difficult to beat Liberty University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in special education. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $51,619 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in special education from Liberty University
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in special education needs to take a look at Radford University. Radford is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Radford.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make an average of $50,536 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in special education from Radford University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in special education needs to look into Virginia Commonwealth University. Located in the medium-sized city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a very large student population.
After graduation, special ed master's recipients typically earn an average of $52,470 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in special education from Virginia Commonwealth University
Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $54,351 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in special education from Old Dominion University
