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Special education professor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a special education professor. Special education professors usually study special education, psychology, or business. 44% of special education professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 39% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 55 real special education professor resumes to see exactly what special education professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for special education professors are the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas.

There are also many online special education professor courses to help get the education required to be a special education professor.

What education do you need to become a special education professor?

What degree do you need to be a special education professor?

The most common degree for special education professors is bachelor's degree, with 44% of special education professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 39% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 44%
  • Master's, 39%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • License, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a special education professor?

You should major in special education to become a special education professor. 24% of special education professors major in special education. Other common majors for a special education professor include psychology and business.

Most common colleges for special education professors

Special education professors often get their degrees at University of Kansas, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, and Syracuse University. Here are the most common colleges for special education professors in the US based on their resumes.
Special education professor common collegePercentages
University of Kansas9.52%
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania4.76%
Syracuse University4.76%
Ohio University4.76%
Eastern University4.76%

Best majors for special education professors

Best colleges for special education professors

The best colleges for special education professors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

A special education professor 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 professors. 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 professors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for special education professors

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3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

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4. Train the Trainer Foundation: Adult Education Mastery Course

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5. Music Education for Teachers

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6. Diversity and Inclusion in Education

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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)...

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10. What future for education?

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Through this course you will start to critically examine your own ideas about education, teaching and learning. The critique will be developed through engagement with theories and ideas developed through educational research. You will be encouraged to use these ideas to challenge or support your own ideas about education. Each week we will focus on one key question, using video lectures, key readings and challenges to explore some commonplace notions about education. With the guidance of the...

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13. Activity Design with PhET Simulations for STEM Education

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Top 10 most affordable universities for special education professors

The most affordable schools for special education professors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for special education professors 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 professors.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

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 special education professors

The hardest universities for special education professors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for special education professors 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 professors 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for special education professors

The easiest schools for special education professors to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and the university of texas permian basin.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a special education professor 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 professors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

Average special education professor salary by education level

According to our data, special education professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $71,303 annually. Special education professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $60,285.
Special education professor education levelSpecial education professor salary
Master's Degree$60,285
Doctorate Degree$71,303

Special education professor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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