2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools
Finding the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate 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 Graduate Certificate Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 187 schools in the United States to see which graduate certificate 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.
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2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for special ed majors pursuing a graduate certificate.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Special Education
Our 2023 rankings named Minnesota State University - Mankato the best school in the United States for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Out of the 187 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Johns Hopkins University
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Virginia - Main Campus is a great place for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Virginia - Main Campus
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Purdue University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the United States. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.
Read full report on Special Education at Purdue University - Main Campus
Out of the 187 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Mary’s College of California landed the # 5 spot on the list. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Moraga.
Read full report on Special Education at Saint Mary’s College of California
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Indiana University - Bloomington
Towson University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Towson, Towson is a public college with a very large student population.
With a ranking of #8, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population.
Appalachian State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Special Education at Appalachian State University Report
Ball State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Ball State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Muncie.
The College of New Jersey landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. TCNJ is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Ewing.
George Washington University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Special Education at George Washington University
Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.
Augusta University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Augusta University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Augusta.
Winona State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.
Minot State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. MSU is a small public school located in the town of Minot.
University of Florida came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools ranking. UF is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.
Viterbo University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Viterbo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Crosse.
Georgia College & State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the town of Milledgeville, Georgia College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Special Education at Georgia College & State University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #21 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that special ed majors at UMN Twin Cities take out while working on their Graduate Certificate is $21,104.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Alaska Fairbanks ranked #22 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. UAF is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Fairbanks.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #23 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.
Full Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report
The City College of New York ranked #24 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of New York, CCNY is a public college with a large student population.
Full Special Education at The City College of New York Report
With a ranking of #25, Rowan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large suburb of Glassboro, Rowan is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Rest of the Top Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools
Honorable Mentions
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 Graduate Certificate Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Hamline University | Saint Paul, MN |
| 30 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 31 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 32 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 33 | Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ |
| 34 | Midland University | Fremont, NE |
| 35 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 36 | Whitworth University | Spokane, WA |
| 37 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
Special Education by Region
View the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Special Education Rankings
Special Education Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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