Elementary Special Ed

Types of Degrees Elementary Special Ed Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many elementary 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	1,076
Bachelor’s Degree	602
Graduate Certificate	69
Basic Certificate	1

What Elementary Special Ed Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to elementary 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 Elementary Special Ed Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in elementary special ed should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Elementary Special Ed Majors

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

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.

Abilities for Elementary Special Ed Majors

A major in elementary 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.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Elementary Special Ed Major?

People with a elementary special ed degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	7.4%	$59,390

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

The major attracts more women than men. About 92% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	14
Black or African American	33
Hispanic or Latino	55
White	473
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	21

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Elementary Special Ed. About 1.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Elementary Special Ed

Some careers associated with elementary special ed require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 elementary special ed careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Some College Courses	1.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	65.8%
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.	0.2%
Master’s Degree	21.6%
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.	6.1%
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.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	5.2%

Online Elementary 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	12	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	52	10
Post-Master’s	11	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Elementary Special Ed

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

Major	Number of Grads
General Special Education	22,757
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	3,547
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	1,354
Other Special Education & Teaching	1,246
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	1,132
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs	738
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	546
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented	481
Education of the Deaf	350
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments	245
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness	193
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances	139
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed	114
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities	80
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs	79
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries	57
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic & Other Physical Health Impairments	37

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.