Find Teaching Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

Find Schools Near

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

26 Colleges
$24,677 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$38,520 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree 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.

With all the teaching programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

The Best Value Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 26 schools in the Southwest Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for special ed students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Special Education Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Ottawa University - Phoenix to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Southwest Region . Ottawa University - Phoenix is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ottawa University - Phoenix are $13,281 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Ottawa University - Phoenix

#2

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Grand Canyon University is a great value for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grand Canyon University are $17,189 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at Grand Canyon University accumulate an average of around $44,509 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $138, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#3

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, TX

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at MSU Texas helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in the Southwest Region . MSU Texas is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Wichita Falls.

MSU Texas undergraduate students pay an average of $11,726 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Out of the 26 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern Oklahoma State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Alva, NWOSU is a public school with a small student population.

NWOSU undergraduate students pay an average of $15,001 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Arizona University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the small city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NAU are $17,761 per year. Special Ed majors at NAU take out an average of $22,913 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $279.

Full Special Education at Northern Arizona University Report

With a ranking of #6, Northeastern State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the remote town of Tahlequah, NSU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NSU are $15,755 per year.

Full Special Education at Northeastern State University Report

University of Central Oklahoma came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. UCO is a large public school located in the suburb of Edmond.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UCO are $18,917 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Central Oklahoma

New Mexico Highlands University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. New Mexico Highlands University is a small public school located in the town of Las Vegas.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at New Mexico Highlands University are $11,532 per year. On average, special ed graduates from New Mexico Highlands University take out $28,446 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Special Education at New Mexico Highlands University Report

With a ranking of #9, Southwestern Oklahoma State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Weatherford, SWOSU is a public college with a small student population.

SWOSU undergraduate students pay an average of $15,023 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University Report

With a ranking of #10, Southeastern Oklahoma State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant town of Durant, Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University undergraduate students pay an average of $15,870 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Report

Best Special Education Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 3,941
Texas 1,536
New Mexico 144
Oklahoma 101

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

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 25 schools only.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Teaching Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited education & teaching schools across the U.S.