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Special Education Administration

A program that prepares individuals to plan, supervise, and manage programs for exceptional students and their parents. Includes instruction in special education theory and practice, special education program development, evaluation and assessment in special education, state and federal law and regulations, managing individual education plans, problems of low- and high- disability students, mainstreaming, special education curricula, staff management, parent education, communications and community relations, budgeting, and professional standards and ethics.

Types of Degrees Special Education Administration Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Special Education Administration have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	205
Doctor’s Degree	23

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Special Education Administration graduates include:

• Director of Research
• Extension Course Coordinator
• Grants Administrator
• Educational Director
• Correctional Institution Education Supervisor
• Education Director
• Division Chief
• Area Supervisor
• Director of Research and Development
• Director of in Service Education
• Attache
• Director of Professional Services
• Special Education Administrator
• Apprenticeship Consultant
• Field Director

Who Is Earning a Degree in Special Education Administration?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.7% of Special Education Administration degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	200	87.7%
Men	28	12.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Special Education Administration graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	179	78.5%
Asian	3	1.3%
Hispanic or Latino	4	1.8%
Black or African American	35	15.4%
Two or More Races	4	1.8%
Race Unknown	2	0.9%
International Students	1	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Special Education Administration Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Special Education Administration graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$65,211
4 years	$67,022
5 years	$74,441

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $74,441 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Special Education Administration Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Special Education Administration. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	9	3
Doctoral (Research)	3	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Special Education Administration Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Special Education Administration graduates earn a median of $67,022 four years after completion — roughly 76% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Educational Administration and Supervision	42,255
Educational Leadership and Administration, General	29,806
Higher Education/Higher Education Administration	4,404
Educational Administration and Supervision, Other	1,941
Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision	1,682
Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship	1,258
Superintendency and Educational System Administration	1,056
Secondary School Administration/Principalship	460
Community College Administration	335
Adult and Continuing Education Administration	330
Early Childhood Program Administration	104
International School Administration/Leadership	22

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.