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Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

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

Finding the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate School for You

In 2020-2021, special education students earned 1,238 degrees and certificates from a Virginia school, making the subject the 4th in the state.

It's not easy to decide which teaching program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

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 Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Virginia to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for teaching students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Colleges.

Top 10 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in Virginia for special education students working on their graduate certificate. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Full Special Education at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

Out of the 12 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the # 2 spot on the list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Full Special Education at George Mason University Report

#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.

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#4

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

The excellent graduate certificate programs at William & Mary helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in Virginia. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

Full Special Education at William & Mary Report

#5

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Shenandoah University is a great place for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Winchester.

Full Special Education at Shenandoah University Report

With a ranking of #6, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.

Read full report on Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University

#7

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

Read full report on Special Education at Old Dominion University

#8

University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, VA

University of Lynchburg landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Lynchburg is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Full Special Education at University of Lynchburg Report

#9

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

University of Mary Washington came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking. UMW is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg.

Read More…

#10

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford 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 #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Special Education at Radford University Report

Best Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kentucky 608
Tennessee 354
North Carolina 477
Georgia 550
Florida 1,103
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

Majors Similar to Special Ed

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 12 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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