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Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

3 Colleges
$14,834 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,862 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, special education was ranked 4th in Illinois. In fact, 1,153 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right for you. 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.

The Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 3 schools in Illinois to see which graduate certificate 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for special ed majors pursuing a graduate certificate.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality for a Postbaccalaureate Certificates in Special Education

Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in Illinois. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Illinois State are $9,773 a year.

Illinois State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.

Full Special Education at Illinois State University Report

#2

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

The excellent graduate certificate programs at Olivet Nazarene University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in Illinois. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Olivet Nazarene are $12,190 per year.

Olivet Nazarene did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.

Read full report on Special Education at Olivet Nazarene University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Loyola Chicago graduate students pay an average of $19,894 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at Loyola University Chicago

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Ohio 1,329
Indiana 2,282
Michigan 607
Wisconsin 598

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

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 3 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.

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