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Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

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2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

10 Colleges
$49,862 Avg Salary
$22,246 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, special education was ranked 3rd in California. In fact, 2,861 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

Today's teaching students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in California to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Graduate Certificate Schools in California

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

Top 10 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

Our analysis found Saint Mary’s College of California to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in California. Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Saint Mary’s College of California

Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the # 2 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at California State University - Long Beach Report

#4

National University

La Jolla, CA

Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the # 4 spot on the list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Special Education at University of Southern California Report

#6

Mills College

Oakland, CA

Mills College 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 #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Oakland, Mills is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Full Special Education at Mills College Report

California State University - Northridge came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.

Read full report on Special Education at California State University - Northridge

#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

Read full report on Special Education at San Francisco State University

#9

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read full report on Special Education at Mount Saint Mary’s University

#10

Holy Names University

Oakland, CA

With a ranking of #10, Holy Names University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. HNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.

Read full report on Special Education at Holy Names University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 238
Oregon 234
Nevada 215
Hawaii 49
Alaska 52

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 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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