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Most Popular Online Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Online Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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

With 36,792 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.

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

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Most Popular Online Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which online graduate certificate programs were the most popular for teaching students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

Check out the online special ed graduate certificate programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the Great Lakes Region .

#1

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Our analysis found Ball State University to be the most popular school for special education students who want to pursue an online graduate certificate in the Great Lakes Region . Ball State is a very large public school located in the city of Muncie.

Of the 433 students majoring in special ed at Ball State, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Read More…

#2

Viterbo University

La Crosse, WI

Out of the 12 online programs at schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Viterbo University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Viterbo is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of La Crosse.

Women make up 68% of the special ed majors at the school.

Full Special Education at Viterbo University Report

#3

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

Out of the 12 online programs at schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.

About 72% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 28% are male.

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#4

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.

About 83% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 17% are male.

Full Special Education at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

#5

Mount St. Joseph University

Cincinnati, OH

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Mount St. Joseph University is a great place for special education students working on their online graduate certificate. Mount St. Joe is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Cincinnati.

Read full report on Special Education at Mount St. Joseph University

#5

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, MI

The in-demand online graduate certificate programs at Oakland University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Great Lakes Region . Oakland is a large public school located in the large suburb of Rochester Hills.

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Maranatha Baptist University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the fringe town of Watertown, MBU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 67% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 33% are male.

Full Special Education at Maranatha Baptist University Report

Baldwin Wallace University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Berea, Baldwin Wallace College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Baldwin Wallace University Report

Miami University - Oxford came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a large public school located in the fringe town of Oxford.

Read More…

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular online places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Indiana University - Bloomington

Explore the most popular online special education colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Ohio 1,329
Illinois 1,153
Indiana 2,282
Michigan 607
Wisconsin 598

More Special Education Rankings in the Great Lakes Region

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 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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