Bachelor’s Degrees in Special Education
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Education Levels of Special Ed Majors
In 2019-2020, 9,071 earned their bachelor's degree in special ed. This earns it the #3 spot on the list of the most popular bachelor's degree programs in the nation.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in special ed at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 19,550 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 9,071 |
Graduate Certificate | 2,832 |
Associate Degree | 692 |
Basic Certificate | 563 |
Doctor’s Degree | 278 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 263 |
Earnings of Special Ed Majors With Bachelor’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding a bachelor's degree in special ed is $36,400. However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years experience you have. To get a better picture, earnings for this category of people can range from a low of $32,875 to a high of $39,025.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding a bachelor's degree in special ed is $26,000. The length of time it takes you to graduate and what college you attend can affect this number quite a bit. The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $27,000 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $22,488.

The median monthly payment of a special ed graduate with a 10-year repayment plan is $270.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their bachelor's degree in special ed. About 90.1% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 894 |
Women | 8,177 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of special ed bachelor’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 94 |
Black or African American | 347 |
Hispanic or Latino | 908 |
White | 7,217 |
International Students | 46 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 459 |

Most Popular Special Ed Programs for Bachelor’s Degrees
There are 539 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in special ed. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
Special Ed Focus Areas
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
General Special Education | 6,588 |
Early Childhood Special Education | 768 |
Elementary Special Education | 484 |
Other Special Education & Teaching | 385 |
Teaching for Learning Disabilities | 192 |
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to special ed that offer bachelor’s degrees.
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Teacher Education Grade Specific | 51,113 |
Teacher Education Subject Specific | 21,282 |
General Education | 4,798 |
Other Education | 1,776 |
Educational Assessment | 728 |
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.
Featured Schools
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Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |