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

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

108 Colleges
$49,761 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Master'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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 108 schools in the Southeast Region to see which ones offered the best master'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 Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

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

Top 15% Best Special Education Master'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 master’s degree in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at Vanderbilt University Report

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Full Special Education at George Mason University Report

#3

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

Out of the 108 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Georgia landed the # 3 spot on the list. UGA is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Athens.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Georgia

#4

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR

The excellent master’s degree programs at John Brown University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the distant town of Siloam Springs, JBU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#5

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means James Madison University is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at James Madison University

#6

Marymount University

Arlington, VA

Marymount University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Marymount is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Arlington.

Full Special Education at Marymount University Report

With a ranking of #7, Florida Gulf Coast University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Fort Myers, FGCU is a public school with a large student population.

Full Special Education at Florida Gulf Coast University Report

#8

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at University of Florida Report

#9

Georgetown College

Georgetown, KY

With a ranking of #9, Georgetown College did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Georgetown College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Georgetown.

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With a ranking of #10, Georgia College & State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Georgia College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Milledgeville.

Read More…

#11

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

With a ranking of #11, Clemson University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Clemson University

With a ranking of #12, North Carolina State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Special Education at North Carolina State University Report

With a ranking of #13, Appalachian State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Appalachian State is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Boone.

Read More…

#14

Samford University

Birmingham, AL

Samford University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Samford is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Special Education at Samford University Report

With a ranking of #15, The University of West Florida did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the small city of Pensacola, UWF is a public college with a large student population.

Full Special Education at The University of West Florida Report

#16

High Point University

High Point, NC

High Point University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. High Point is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of High Point.

Read full report on Special Education at High Point University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Harding University Searcy, AR
18 Auburn University Auburn, AL
19 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
20 Bellarmine University Louisville, KY
21 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education colleges 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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