Associate’s Degrees in Special Education
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Education Levels of Special Ed Majors
In 2018-2019, 408 earned their associate's degree in special ed. This makes it the 5th most popular associate's degree program in the country.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in special ed at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 18,013 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 8,866 |
Graduate Certificate | 2,240 |
Basic Certificate | 554 |
Associate’s Degree | 408 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 301 |
Doctor’s Degree | 257 |
Earnings of Special Ed Majors With Associate’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding an associate's degree in special ed is $28,600. This number may vary for a lot of reasons. For instance, you may decide to move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money.
A better approximation of salary is to look at the typical range of salaries. In this case the low is $28,600 and the high is $28,600.

Student Debt
We do not have the data to calculate the median and range of debt loads for special ed students who are associate's degree holders.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their associate's degree in special ed. About 90.9% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 37 |
Women | 371 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of special ed associate’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 30 |
Black or African American | 15 |
Hispanic or Latino | 161 |
White | 162 |
International Students | 5 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 35 |

Most Popular Special Ed Programs for Associate’s Degrees
There are 75 colleges that offer an associate’s degree in special ed. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
The most popular school in the United States for special ed students seekingan associate's degree is Moorpark College. Each year, around 14,200 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 52 associate's degrees were handed out to special ed majors at Moorpark College. Of these students, 94% were women and 50% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Chemeketa Community College is the 2nd most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. The special ed program at Chemeketa Community College awarded 37 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 100% were women and 30% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
College of Southern Nevada comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in special ed. Each year, around 33,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The special ed program at College of Southern Nevada awarded 35 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 54% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 89% were women.
The 4th most popular school in the country for special ed majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Mt. San Jacinto College. Each year, around 15,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 29 associate's degrees were handed out to special ed majors at MSJC. Of these students, 90% were women and 62% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Miami Dade College is the 5th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. Roughly 51,600 attend the school each year. The special ed program at Miami Dade College awarded 22 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 82% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 82% were women.
Evergreen Valley College is the 5th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. The special ed program at Evergreen Valley College awarded 22 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 86% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
Fullerton College is the 7th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. The special ed program at Fullerton College awarded 15 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 100% were women and 67% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 8th most popular school in the country for special ed majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Los Angeles Valley College. Each year, around 16,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The special ed program at Los Angeles Valley College awarded 14 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 86% were women and 57% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 9th most popular school in the country for special ed majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Butte College. Each year, around 10,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The special ed program at Butte College awarded 11 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 91% of this group were women, and 73% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
City College of San Francisco comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in special ed. Each year, around 24,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The special ed program at City College of San Francisco awarded 11 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 91% were women.
The 9th most popular school in the country for special ed majors who are seeking their associate's degree is St Petersburg College. Roughly 28,800 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 11 people received their associate's degree in special ed from SPC.
Southwestern College comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in special ed. Roughly 19,200 attend the school each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 11 people received their associate's degree in special ed from SWC Chula Vista. Of these students, 91% were women and 91% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Community College of Rhode Island is the 13th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. Each year, around 14,700 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The special ed program at Community College of Rhode Island awarded 10 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 30% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 70% were women.
Oxnard College comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in special ed. Each year, around 7,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 7 associate's degrees were handed out to special ed majors at Oxnard College. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 86% were women.
The 15th most popular school in the country for special ed majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Riverside City College. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 6 associate's degrees were handed out to special ed majors at Riverside City College. Of these students, 100% were women and 50% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Nashua Community College is the 15th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 6 people received their associate's degree in special ed from Nashua Community College.
The 15th most popular school in the country for special ed majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Diablo Valley College. Roughly 19,800 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 6 associate's degrees were handed out to special ed majors at Diablo Valley. Of these students, 50% were women and 33% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 15th most popular school in the country for special ed majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Mesabi Range College. The special ed program at Mesabi Range College awarded 6 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year.
College of the Desert is the 15th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. Each year, around 11,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 6 people received their associate's degree in special ed from College of the Desert. Of these students, 83% were women and 67% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Eastern Gateway Community College is the 15th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in special ed. The special ed program at Eastern Gateway Community College awarded 6 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 33% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
Special Ed Concentrations
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Early Childhood Special Education | 239 |
General Special Education | 74 |
Teaching for the Deaf | 50 |
Teaching for Speech Impaired | 43 |
Teaching for Multiple Disabilities | 1 |
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to special ed that offer associate’s degrees.
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Teacher Education Grade Specific | 11,963 |
General Education | 2,187 |
Teacher Education Subject Specific | 899 |
Teaching Assistant/Aide | 835 |
Instructional Media Design | 82 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minority student 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 percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Image Credit: By woodleywonderworks under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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