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Secondary Special Education

A program that focuses on the design and provision of teaching and other educational services to children with special learning needs or disabilities who are in the secondary grades. Includes instruction in diagnosing learning disabilities; developing individual education plans; curriculum development, instructional strategies, and classroom management for secondary grades special education; content, methods, and modifications in specific subject areas; issues in vocational education; and promoting successful transitions to postsecondary settings.

Types of Degrees Secondary Special Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Secondary Special Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	22
Master’s Degree	811

What Secondary Special Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in Secondary Special Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Secondary Special Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Secondary Special Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Secondary Special Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Secondary Special Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Secondary Special Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Secondary Special Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Secondary Special Education graduates include:

• Educational Administration Teacher
• Education Faculty Member
• Literacy Education Professor
• Special Education Professor
• Lecturer
• Educational Instructor
• Primary Education Professor
• Instructor
• Professor
• Adjunct Education Professor
• Faculty Member
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Associate Professor
• Education Professor
• Music Education Professor

What Can You Do With a Secondary Special Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Secondary Special Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Secondary Special Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	65.4%
Master’s degree	18.3%
Bachelor’s degree	11.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Secondary Special Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.3% of Secondary Special Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	577	69.3%
Men	256	30.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Secondary Special Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	378	45.4%
Asian	50	6.0%
Hispanic or Latino	166	19.9%
Black or African American	199	23.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	10	1.2%
Race Unknown	12	1.4%
International Students	16	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Secondary Special Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Secondary Special Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,981
4 years	$54,220
5 years	$59,983

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,983 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Secondary Special Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Secondary Special Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Secondary Special Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Secondary Special Education graduates earn a median of $54,220 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Special Education and Teaching	33,988
Special Education and Teaching, General	22,116
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	3,548
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs	2,055
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	1,213
Special Education and Teaching, Other	1,070
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	1,002
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Biology Teacher Education	696
Education/Teaching of the Gifted and Talented	483

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.