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Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

12 Colleges
$15,007 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,862 Avg Salary

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.

The Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 12 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best value graduate certificate programs for special ed students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia

Check out the special ed graduate certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Our 2023 rankings named James Madison University the best value school in Virginia for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

JMU graduate students pay an average of $12,514 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at James Madison University

#2

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Liberty University is a great value for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 per year.

Read More…

#3

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 # 3 spot on the list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at GMU are $16,644 per year.

GMU did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list.

Read full report on Special Education at George Mason University

#4

University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Lynchburg. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list. Lynchburg is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

Lynchburg graduate students pay an average of $11,759 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Lynchburg

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at University of Virginia are $20,906 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Virginia is ranked #1 for overall quality for special ed in Virginia.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#6

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

University of Mary Washington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list. UMW is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UMW are $11,388 a year.

Read More…

#7

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion 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 #7 on the list. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

Old Dominion graduate students pay an average of $13,224 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at Old Dominion University

#8

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

William & Mary came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at William & Mary are $16,618 a year.

William & Mary also took the #5 spot in our Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia rankings.

Full Special Education at William & Mary Report

Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at VCU are $15,518 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University

#10

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Radford are $12,535 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at Radford University

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value 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.

  • 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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