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Early childhood special education teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an early childhood special education teacher. Early childhood special education teachers usually study business, early childhood education, or special education. 67% of early childhood special education teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 49 real early childhood special education teacher resumes to see exactly what early childhood special education teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for early childhood special education teachers are the Ouachita Baptist University and the Ouachita Baptist University.
There are also many online early childhood special education teacher courses to help get the education required to be an early childhood special education teacher.
What education do you need to become an early childhood special education teacher?
What degree do you need to be an early childhood special education teacher?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 14%
- High School Diploma, 3%
What should I major in to become an early childhood special education teacher?
- Business, 12%
- Psychology, 9%
- Other Majors, 58%
Most common colleges for early childhood special education teachers
| Early childhood special education teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Ouachita Baptist University | 5.00% |
| School of Visual Arts | 5.00% |
| Walden University | 5.00% |
| Wayne State University | 5.00% |
| Fisher College | 5.00% |
Best majors for early childhood special education teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 11.8% |
| 2 | Early Childhood Education | 11.8% |
| 3 | Special Education | 8.8% |
| 4 | Psychology | 8.8% |
| 5 | Social Work | 5.9% |
Best colleges for early childhood special education teachers
The best colleges for early childhood special education teachers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.
An early childhood special education teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for early childhood special education teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become early childhood special education teachers.
1. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
2. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
3. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
9. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for early childhood special education teachers
Advertising disclosure
1. Music Education for Teachers
In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...
2. Activity Design with PhET Simulations for STEM Education
PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu/ ), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers. In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET to create sim-based...
3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)
Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...
4. Introduction to Early Childhood Montessori Education
Learning Montessori Philosophy and Materials by visiting classrooms across the U.S...
5. Online Learning Design for Educators
This specialization is for educators seeking to improve and expand their repertoire of online teaching skills related to the design, development and delivery of effective and engaging online courses and lessons for school age and adult learners.\n\nLearning in the 21st century no longer takes place exclusively between the four walls of a physical classroom. With advances in technology, learners now expect to be offered flexible study modes outside of the traditional face-to-face model. This...
6. Introduction to Early Childhood
This course is targeted toward individuals wishing to operate a family day care center, and it covers topics including the fundamentals of early childhood development; the importance of play and Developmentally Appropriate Practice; and the significance of building strong family-educator relationships and how to achieve them. Since a Family Policy Handbook is essential for anyone operating a family day care center, this course includes the development of one of three imperative sections of the...
7. INSPIRED BY REGGIO EMILIA: A New Beginning
Teaching Strategies for Early Childhood Education...
8. Understanding The Impact of Trauma in Early Childhood
The Biological Impact of Early Childhood Trauma on Brain Development and Social-Emotional Functioning...
9. ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum
Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow. Learning Outcomes: to be aware of the range of reasons for using ICT to...
10. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
11. Montessori Math Course (Early Childhood and Elementary)
Step by step video presentations and pdf manuals and resources that will empower you as a Montessori teacher...
12. Outcome Based Education (OBE) & Academic Quality Assurance
Master Course for Teachers' Development: Grow Your Teaching-Learning Expertise to World-Class Level...
13. Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations
Learn how to engage your students and enhance learning in math and science with free virtual labs and simulations from the University of Colorado Boulder's PhET Interactive Simulations project (https://phet.colorado.edu/en). In this specialization, you will explore active learning strategies that you can incorporate into your own classroom, either online or in person. You will also learn how to evaluate the effectiveness of a learning experience by implementing a simulation-based lesson plan in...
14. Diversity and Inclusion in Education
Student diversity is becoming the rule rather than the exception in education systems across the world. Students bring to classroom different characteristics such as ability and disability, socio-economic background, race, ethnicity, and cultural background, beliefs and religion, and gender characteristics. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (United Nations, 2015)...
15. Google Certified Educator Level 1 Technical Training
Google Apps for Education...
16. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell
[Power Shell] Simplified practical knowledge for automation & management of [Active Directory] using Windows Power Shell...
17. Climate change education
This specialization offers tools and resources developed as part of the "Rise up" initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to combat climate change and improve the sustainability of the planet. Through the three courses that make up this specialization, you will learn what we can do individually, as a school, and as a community to lead a more sustainable and healthier life. You'll also delve into the primary ethical and social issues related to climate change, how to use games to...
18. ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Teacher Toolbox Series
Plan lessons, activities and assessment with the ELL in mind, and create an engaging and welcoming environment for the ELL and their families.\n\nThis Specialization covers lesson planning and assessing with the ELL in mind as well as engaging the ELL student and their families in the school and community. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills you learned by creating an annotated lesson plan and assessment with appropriate modifications for the ELL students. You will also...
19. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
20. Critical Issues in Urban Education
Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...
Top 10 most affordable universities for early childhood special education teachers
The most affordable schools for early childhood special education teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for early childhood special education teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for early childhood special education teachers.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for early childhood special education teachers
The hardest universities for early childhood special education teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.
Some great schools for early childhood special education teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for early childhood special education teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for early childhood special education teachers
The easiest schools for early childhood special education teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an early childhood special education teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for early childhood special education teachers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average early childhood special education teacher salary by education level
| Early childhood special education teacher education level | Early childhood special education teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $41,573 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $33,897 |
| Doctorate Degree | $41,958 |
Early childhood special education teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025