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Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools

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2023 Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools

10 Colleges
$15,697 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education Associate Degree School for You

With 36,792 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for teaching students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for teaching students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools in the United States

Check out the special ed associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Cincinnati - Clermont College the best school in the United States for special education students working on their associate degree. UC Clermont College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Batavia.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Cincinnati - Clermont College

#2

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Schnecksville, PA

The excellent associate degree programs at Lehigh Carbon Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Schnecksville, LCCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Special Education at Lehigh Carbon Community College Report

#3

Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Miami Dade College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Miami, MDC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at Miami Dade College Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Itawamba Community College is a great place for special education students working on their associate degree. Located in the remote town of Fulton, ICC is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Itawamba Community College

#5

College of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, NV

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means College of Southern Nevada is a great place for special education students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at CSN take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,821.

Full Special Education at College of Southern Nevada Report

With a ranking of #6, Florida State College at Jacksonville did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their associate degree. FSCJ is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jacksonville.

Full Special Education at Florida State College at Jacksonville Report

#7

Stark State College

North Canton, OH

Stark State College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools list. Stark State College is a large public school located in the large suburb of North Canton.

Full Special Education at Stark State College Report

Northern Vermont University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Johnson, Northern Vermont University is a public college with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Northern Vermont University

#9

Gateway Community College

New Haven, CT

Gateway Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of New Haven, Gateway Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read More…

With a ranking of #10, Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their associate degree. RCSJ is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Sewell.

Full Special Education at Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus Report

Special Education by Region

View the Best Special Education Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 14 majors within the teaching area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 24,497
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 3,111
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 1,789
Elementary Special Education 1,625
Other Special Education & Teaching 1,227
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 1,133
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 655
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 540
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 504
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 415
Education of the Deaf 363
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 226
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed 222
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs 181
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness 134
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities 122
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic & Other Physical Health Impairments 47
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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