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Most Popular Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Most Popular Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

35 Colleges
$38,520 Avg Salary
$25,108 Avg Student Debt

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Teaching Degree Search has created its Most Popular Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 35 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs for teaching students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Special Education program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for special ed majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

#1

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Our analysis found Grand Canyon University to be the most popular school for special education students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the large city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

Of the 471 students majoring in special ed at Grand Canyon University, 7% are male and 93% are female.

Special Ed majors at Grand Canyon University take out an average of $44,509 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $138, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Special Education at Grand Canyon University Report

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Arizona State University - Tempe helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular special education schools in the Southwest Region . ASU - Tempe is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Tempe.

Women make up 84% of the special ed majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at ASU - Tempe accumulate an average of around $20,759 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $396.

Full Special Education at Arizona State University - Tempe Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northern Arizona University is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 98 students majoring in special ed at NAU, 8% are male and 92% are female.

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

#4

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Arizona is a great place for special education students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 28 students majoring in special ed at University of Arizona, 7% are male and 93% are female.

The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $458, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Special Education at University of Arizona Report

Out of the 35 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the # 5 spot on the list. UTSA is a very large public school located in the city of San Antonio.

Women make up 85% of the special ed majors at the school.

Full Special Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio Report

New Mexico Highlands University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. New Mexico Highlands University is a small public school located in the remote town of Las Vegas.

Women make up 60% of the special ed majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, special ed majors at New Mexico Highlands University accumulate an average of around $28,446 in student debt.

Read full report on Special Education at New Mexico Highlands University

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Special Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in special ed at the school are women while 7% are male.

Full Special Education at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Report

University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree special education programs. UNM is a very large public school located in the large city of Albuquerque.

Of the 13 students majoring in special ed at UNM, 23% are male and 77% are female.

Read More…

#9

Baylor University

Waco, TX

Baylor University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for special education students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Baylor is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Waco.

Read full report on Special Education at Baylor University

#10

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, TX

MSU Texas landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree special education programs. MSU Texas is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Wichita Falls.

Women make up 90% of the special ed majors at the school.

Read full report on Special Education at MSU Texas

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 28 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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