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Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

113 Colleges
$38,520 Avg Salary
$25,108 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 36,792 special education students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #4 most popular in the country.

Today's teaching students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Teaching Degree Search has created its Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 113 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for teaching students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 15% Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Our analysis found Vanderbilt University to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#2

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Georgia is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. UGA is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Athens.

Special Ed majors at UGA take out an average of $25,610 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Special Education at University of Georgia Report

#3

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means East Carolina University is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. ECU is a very large public school located in the city of Greenville.

Special Ed majors at ECU take out an average of $24,908 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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#4

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Florida State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.

Full Special Education at Florida State University Report

#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at University of Florida Report

With a ranking of #6, Florida International University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. FIU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Miami.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, special ed graduates from FIU carry an average student debtload of $22,611.

Full Special Education at Florida International University Report

#7

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Special Education at Clemson University Report

Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Fort Myers, FGCU is a public college with a large student population.

Full Special Education at Florida Gulf Coast University Report

#9

Georgia Gwinnett College

Lawrenceville, GA

Georgia Gwinnett College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville, Georgia Gwinnett College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Georgia Gwinnett College

#10

Augusta University

Augusta, GA

With a ranking of #10, Augusta University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Augusta, Augusta University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Augusta University

Appalachian State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Appalachian State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Boone.

Read full report on Special Education at Appalachian State University

#12

Auburn University

Auburn, AL

Auburn University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Auburn is a very large public school located in the small city of Auburn.

The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at Auburn take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,145. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $512, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#13

Broward College

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Broward College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree special education programs. Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, BC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Special Ed majors at BC take out an average of $17,294 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Special Education at Broward College Report

The University of West Florida landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree special education programs. Located in the small city of Pensacola, UWF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at UWF accumulate an average of around $28,347 in student debt.

Full Special Education at The University of West Florida Report

#15

Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

Miami Dade College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree special education programs. MDC is a very large public school located in the city of Miami.

On average, special ed graduates from MDC take out $18,141 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read More…

#16

Bellarmine University

Louisville, KY

Bellarmine University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Louisville, Bellarmine U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Bellarmine University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA
18 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
19 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
20 Marymount University Arlington, VA
21 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
22 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kentucky 608
Tennessee 354
North Carolina 477
Georgia 550
Florida 1,103
Virginia 1,238
West Virginia 46
South Carolina 266
Arkansas 351
Louisiana 103
Mississippi 269
Alabama 437

Special Education is one of 14 different types of teaching programs to choose from.

Special Ed Concentrations

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 25 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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