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Early Childhood Special Education

A program that focuses on the design and provision of teaching and other educational services to infant and pre-school age children with special learning needs or disabilities, and that prepares individuals to teach such students. Includes instruction in diagnosing learning disabilities, developing individual education plans, teaching and supervising special education students, special education counseling, and applicable laws and policies.

Types of Degrees Early Childhood Special Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Early Childhood Special Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	39
Associate’s Degree	1,269
Bachelor’s Degree	955
Master’s Degree	1,285

What Early Childhood Special Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Early Childhood Special Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Early Childhood Special Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Early Childhood Special Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Early Childhood Special Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Early Childhood Special Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Early Childhood Special Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Early Childhood Special Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Early Childhood Special Education graduates include:

• Education Adjunct Professor
• Visual Education Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Education Professor
• Special Education Professor
• Associate Professor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Education Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Professor
• Physical Education Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Secondary Education Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Mathematics Education Professor

What Can You Do With a Early Childhood Special Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Early Childhood Special Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Early Childhood Special Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	62.9%
Master’s degree	13.9%
Bachelor’s degree	9.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	9.5%
First professional degree	2.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.9%
Some college courses	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Early Childhood Special Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92.5% of Early Childhood Special Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,282	92.5%
Men	266	7.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,744	49.2%
Asian	201	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,178	33.2%
Black or African American	205	5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	22	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	86	2.4%
Race Unknown	73	2.1%
International Students	35	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Early Childhood Special Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Early Childhood Special Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,981
4 years	$54,220
5 years	$59,983

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,983 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Early Childhood Special Education Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Early Childhood Special Education. 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
Associate’s	3	2
Bachelor’s	6	4
Master’s	11	6

^{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 Early Childhood Special Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Early Childhood Special Education graduates earn a median of $54,220 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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
Special Education and Teaching	33,988
Special Education and Teaching, General	22,116
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs	2,055
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	1,213
Special Education and Teaching, Other	1,070
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	1,002
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs	833
Biology Teacher Education	696
Education/Teaching of the Gifted and Talented	483

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.