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Special ed teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a special ed teacher. Special ed teachers usually study special education, education, or elementary education. 63% of special ed teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,692 real special ed teacher resumes to see exactly what special ed teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for special ed teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online special ed teacher courses to help get the education required to be a special ed teacher.
There are certain special ed teacher certifications that you should consider. These special ed teacher certifications include Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:) and Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE).
What education do you need to become a special ed teacher?
What degree do you need to be a special ed teacher?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a special ed teacher?
- Special Education, 25%
- Education, 13%
- Elementary Education, 11%
- Psychology, 9%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for special ed teachers
| Special ed teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 12.59% |
| Grand Canyon University | 6.29% |
| Texas State University | 5.59% |
| University of Houston | 5.59% |
| Arizona State University | 4.90% |
Best majors for special ed teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Special Education | 24.8% |
| 2 | Education | 13.0% |
| 3 | Elementary Education | 10.8% |
| 4 | Psychology | 8.7% |
| 5 | Business | 5.2% |
Best colleges for special ed teachers
The best colleges for special ed teachers are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A special ed 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 special ed 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 special ed teachers.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for special ed 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. 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,...
3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)
Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...
4. Seth Godin on learning and education
Build the future of community, culture and possibility...
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. 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...
7. Outcome Based Education (OBE) & Academic Quality Assurance
Master Course for Teachers' Development: Grow Your Teaching-Learning Expertise to World-Class Level...
8. Google Certified Educator Level 1 Technical Training
Google Apps for Education...
9. 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...
10. 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...
11. Complete Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2 Masterclass
Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2 Training - Mastering Google Classroom - G Suite - Teaching Online - Google Drive...
12. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
13. Virtual Teacher Final Project
The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...
14. 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...
15. Introduction to Early Childhood Montessori Education
Learning Montessori Philosophy and Materials by visiting classrooms across the U.S...
16. Train the Trainer Foundation: Adult Education Mastery Course
Deploy a repeatable system for employee learning to ensure you reach every learner…every time...
17. 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)...
18. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...
19. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...
20. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...
Top 10 most affordable universities for special ed teachers
The most affordable schools for special ed teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for special ed 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 special ed 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 - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for special ed teachers
The hardest universities for special ed teachers to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for special ed 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 special ed 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for special ed teachers
The easiest schools for special ed teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a special ed 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 special ed 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. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
Average special ed teacher salary by education level
| Special ed teacher education level | Special ed teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $57,951 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $47,676 |
| Doctorate Degree | $58,464 |
Special ed teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025