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Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region

11 Colleges
$45,069 Avg Salary
$23,433 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.

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 Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 11 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones were the most popular online programs 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 programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the Southwest Region .

#1

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Our 2023 rankings named Grand Canyon University the most popular online school in the Southwest Region for special education students. Located in the large city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

Special Ed majors at Grand Canyon University take out an average of $47,161 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $138, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Special Education at Grand Canyon University

The excellent online programs at Northern Arizona University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the small city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public school with a very large student population.

Special Ed majors at NAU take out an average of $21,957 in student loans while working on their egree. 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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pima Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region list. Pima County Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the city of Tucson.

While working on their degree, special ed majors at Pima County Community College District accumulate an average of around $15,125 in student debt.

Read More…

The excellent online programs at Arizona State University - Skysong helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in the Southwest Region . ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the city of Scottsdale.

Full Special Education at Arizona State University - Skysong Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a great place for special education students pursuing an online degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Las Cruces, NMSU Main Campus is a public college with a large student population.

After completing their degree, special ed graduates from NMSU Main Campus carry an average student debtload of $21,650.

Read full report on Special Education at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

Ottawa University - Phoenix ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region list. Ottawa University - Phoenix is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.

Read full report on Special Education at Ottawa University - Phoenix

#6

Western New Mexico University

Silver City, NM

With a ranking of #6, Western New Mexico University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Western New Mexico University is a small public school located in the town of Silver City.

Full Special Education at Western New Mexico University Report

University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the large city of Tempe, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at University of Phoenix - Arizona Report

#8

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

Texas Tech University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Texas Tech is a very large public school located in the large city of Lubbock.

Read More…

Estrella Mountain Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Special Education Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Estrella Mountain Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Avondale.

Full Special Education at Estrella Mountain Community College Report

Explore the most popular online 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

More Special Education Rankings in the Southwest 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

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 11 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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