Special Ed

Types of Degrees Special Ed Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many special education graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	19,631
Bachelor’s Degree	8,925
Graduate Certificate	3,743
Associate Degree	1,326
Basic Certificate	803
Doctor’s Degree	216
Undergraduate Certificate	199

What Special Ed Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to special ed and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Special Ed Majors

Special Ed majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills for Special Ed Majors

A major in special ed prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Special Ed Majors

A major in special ed will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Special Ed Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with special ed:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Adapted Physical Education Specialists	9.9%	$56,680
Interpreters and Translators	17.7%	$49,930
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	7.4%	$59,390
Special Education Teachers, Middle School	7.2%	$60,250
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	11.3%	$55,840
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	7.4%	$60,600

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Ed?

This is one of the most frequently chosen teaching majors. It is the 3rd most popular in the country with 9,368 students graduating with a bachelor’s in special ed in 2021. The major attracts more women than men. About 90% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of special ed majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	126
Black or African American	413
Hispanic or Latino	975
White	6,868
International Students	42
Other Races/Ethnicities	501

Geographic Diversity

Special Ed appeals to people across the globe. About 0.5% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Special Ed

Some degrees associated with special ed may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for special ed careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.1%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.1%
Some College Courses	0.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	52.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	13.8%
Master’s Degree	27.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.5%
Doctoral Degree	1.0%

Online Special Ed Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	55	8
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	1
Associate’s Degree	100	7
Bachelor’s Degree	475	198
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	952	256
Post-Master’s	154	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	81	4
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	2	1

Majors Related to Special Ed

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to special ed.

Major	Number of Grads
Teacher Education Grade Specific	106,652
Educational Administration	43,921
Teacher Education Subject Specific	40,101
General Education	27,845
Curriculum & Instruction	20,472
Student Counseling	14,512
Instructional Media Design	8,912
Teaching English or French	5,030
Other Education	4,693
Educational Assessment	4,249
Teaching Assistants	2,942
Multilingual Education	1,654
Education Philosophy	959
International Education	317

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By woodleywonderworks under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.