Elementary Special Education

Types of Degrees Elementary Special Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many elementary special education graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	812
Bachelor’s Degree	455
Graduate Certificate	46

What Elementary Special Education Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to elementary special ed were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

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

When studying elementary special ed, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Elementary Special Ed Majors

Elementary Special Ed majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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 Education 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 Education?

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	5
Black or African American	19
Hispanic or Latino	34
White	379
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	17

Geographic Diversity

Elementary Special Ed appeals to people across the globe. About 0.2% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Elementary Special Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to elementary special ed is $63,110. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Elementary Special Education

Some degrees associated with elementary 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to elementary special ed have obtained the following education levels.

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.	6.0%
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 Education Programs

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 67 schools offered some type of elementary special education program. 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	8	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	39	11
Post-Master’s	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Elementary Special Education Worth It?

The median salary for a elementary special ed grad is $63,110 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 58% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $464,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Elementary Special Education

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

Major	Number of Grads
General Special Education	20,414
Other Special Education & Teaching	2,242
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	2,193
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	924
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	532
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs	500
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	476
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented	458
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments	434
Education of the Deaf	358
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed	240
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness	160
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Mental Retardation	152
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances	115
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic & Other Physical Health Impairments	63
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs	56
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries	9

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.