Secondary Special Education

Types of Degrees Secondary Special Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	535
Graduate Certificate	69
Bachelor’s Degree	30
Basic Certificate	21

What Secondary Special Education Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs Majors

education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs Majors

As you progress with your education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Secondary Special Education Major?

People with a education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	7.4%	$60,600

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Special Education?

This major is dominated by women with about 70% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	3
White	25
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

How Much Do Secondary Special Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs is $65,320. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Secondary Special Education

Some degrees associated with education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	66.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	18.0%
Master’s Degree	16.7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.1%

Online Secondary Special Education Programs

In 2020-2021, 55 schools offered a education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	12	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	35	2
Post-Master’s	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Secondary Special Education Worth It?

The median salary for a education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs grad is $65,320 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 64% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $508,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Secondary Special Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to education/teaching of individuals in secondary special education programs.

Major	Number of Grads
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 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

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By woodleywonderworks under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.