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Special education assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a special education assistant. Special education assistants usually study psychology, business, or elementary education. 57% of special education assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 9,810 real special education assistant resumes to see exactly what special education assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for special education assistants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online special education assistant courses to help get the education required to be a special education assistant.
There are certain special education assistant certifications that you should consider. These special education assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a special education assistant?
What degree do you need to be a special education assistant?
- Bachelor's, 57%
- Associate, 20%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a special education assistant?
- Psychology, 14%
- Business, 10%
- Education, 8%
- Other Majors, 60%
Most common colleges for special education assistants
| Special education assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 19.95% |
| Chicago State University | 5.74% |
| University of Memphis | 5.60% |
| Middle Tennessee State University | 5.33% |
| Ashford University | 5.19% |
Best majors for special education assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 13.7% |
| 2 | Business | 10.1% |
| 3 | Elementary Education | 8.3% |
| 4 | Education | 7.9% |
| 5 | Special Education | 7.0% |
Best colleges for special education assistants
The best colleges for special education assistants are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
A special education assistant 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 education assistants. 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 education assistants.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
7. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
20 best online courses for special education assistants
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. Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education
This course provides those involved in educating members of the health professions an asynchronous, interdisciplinary, and interactive way to obtain, expand, and improve their teaching skills. These skills can then be applied within their own professional context, with a variety of learners, extending across many stages. After completing this course, learners will: 1. Understand educational theory as it relates to health professions education 2. Match instructional methods with desired...
3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)
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5. 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,...
6. 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...
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9. 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...
10. 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...
11. Instructional Design for Classroom Training
Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...
12. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
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13. Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom
Welcome to Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you apply strategies to the critical areas of K-12 virtual instruction to significantly impact virtual education. We will examine the pitfalls beginning teachers run into and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the greatest impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. By the end of the course, you will be able to empower your students to be voracious...
14. Instructional Planning with Genially
Genially is “the tool that brings content to life.” Genially allows you to map out a learning journey for your students using high interest images and interactive tools. But did you know that Genially is also a wonderful tool for organizing your lessons and units. With Genially, you can plan and organize your units in one central place, simplifying your planning process with templates created with teachers in mind! Throughout this project, we will work together to build your confidence using...
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16. Complete Google Classroom Course: Teaching Google Classroom
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17. 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...
18. 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...
19. Introduction to Early Childhood Montessori Education
Learning Montessori Philosophy and Materials by visiting classrooms across the U.S...
20. Constructivism and Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education
This course is designed to help participants examine the implications of constructivism for learning and teaching in science, mathematics, and technology focused areas. Course readings, discussions, and assignments will examine constructivist views of learning, research on students' ideas and idea-based interactions, research on instructional approaches taking student ideas into account, and challenges in implementing constructivist perspectives in instruction...
Top 10 most affordable universities for special education assistants
The most affordable schools for special education assistants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for special education assistants 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 education assistants.
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. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for special education assistants
The hardest universities for special education assistants to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
Some great schools for special education assistants 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 education assistants 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for special education assistants
The easiest schools for special education assistants to get into are D'Youville College, bluefield college, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a special education assistant 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 education assistants.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average special education assistant salary by education level
| Special education assistant education level | Special education assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $36,788 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $33,557 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $34,600 |
| Doctorate Degree | $37,406 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $33,880 |
Special education assistant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025