Best Colleges For Special Education Teaching Degrees

Special Education Colleges Teach Inclusion

Special Education teaching is one of the fasted growing fields in the teaching profession. The best colleges for special education teaching offer degrees with specialization in the field, training students in the latest developments and helping to build a better society through economic opportunity for people of all developmental backgrounds.

50 Best Colleges for Special Education Teaching Majors

This is our RealRankTM ranking of the best colleges for Special Education Teaching majors.

RankCollegeCityState
1Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleTN
2University of TexasAustinTX
3University of KansasLawrenceKS
4University of IllinoisChampaignIL
5University of GeorgiaAthensGA
6University Of WisconsinMadisonWI
7University of FloridaGainesvilleFL
8University of MarylandCollege ParkMD
9Clemson UniversityClemsonSC
10University of MinnesotaTwin CitiesMN
11Penn StateUniversity ParkPA
12Florida State UniversityTallahasseeFL
13The Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH
14Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationTX
15University of OregonEugeneOR
16University of WashingtonSeattleWA
17Indiana UniversityBloomingtonIN
18Arizona State UniversityTempeAZ
19Kansas State UniversityManhattanKS
20University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVA
21University of KentuckyLexingtonKY
22University of UtahSalt Lake CityUT
23University of AlabamaTuscaloosaAL
24University of ArizonaTusconAZ
25University of TennesseeKnoxvilleTN
26Michigan State UniversityEast LansingMI
27Brigham Young UniversitySalt Lake CityUT
28Liberty UniversityLynchburgVA
29University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV)Las VegasNV
30Mississippi State UniversityStarkvilleMS
31University of North CarolinaChapel HillNC
32University of ConnecticutStorrsCT
33University of North Carolina - CharlotteCharlotteNC
34George Mason UniversityFairfaxVA
35University of CincinnatiCincinnatiOH
36College of New JerseyEwingNJ
37Columbia UniversityNew YorkNY
38University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbiaMO
39Florida International UniversityMiami FL
40State University of New York College at GeneseoGeneseoNY
41Georgia State UniversityAtlantaGA
42Augustana UniversitySioux FallsMN
43Utah State UniversityLogan UT
44University of MemphisMemphisTN
45Boston UniversityBostonMA
46Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZ
47Miami University Oxford OH
48Bradley UniversityPeoriaIL
49Syracuse UniversitySyracuseNY
50Bowling Green State UniversityBowling GreenOH

More information on our RealRank analyses used in creating this ranking can be found on the About page. The underlined colleges link to our ranking profile specific to that institution. If your college is not profiled as yet, contact us using the contact form.

Have you attended any of these programs? What has been your experience at these universities?

What is an Special Education Teaching Major?

Special education is a fascinating field for many professionals, due the because of the rapid development of specialized techniques for teaching the disabled, combined with the rise in the percentage of children needing special education services in school. It also is a teaching specialty that has proven to expand economic opportunity in an increasingly diverse economy. In most top universities with the special ed. major, within the College of Education (or department).  One of the best universities in the field has described the major as playing an important role in civil society:

The mission of the Department of Special Education is to improve the lives of children and youth with disabilities by preparing exceptionally competent teachers and researchers, conducting research that informs and improves educational programs and behavioral interventions, and leading professional associations and advocacy for persons with disabilities. https://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/departments/sped/

Besides core teaching courses, a special education degree typically involves specialized courses, providing the basic analytical skills for students wishing to specialize in this field. This may include skills for working with a diverse range of ages, language skills, and disability levels including not just children with but also adults who may fall in a spectrum of attention deficit issues, developmental disabilities, emotional disorders, developmental delays, visual impairment and dislexia, learning disabilities. Courses may include:

  • Legal aspects of special education
  • Learning characteristics of students with disabilities
  • Practicum in a school resource center
  • Teaching English as a second language learners
  • Behavior Management
  • Assessment of Diverse Learners
  • Inclusion .

Special Education Teaching Careers

A major in Special Education Teaching opens career paths in one of the growing, and quite stable, teaching specialties. Few teaching specialties are required by law, but federal law now mandates schools provide teaching services to a wide range of students with different socio-linguistic and developmental backgrounds, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Among the career possibilities open to students coming out of college with a degree in special education teaching are:

  • Education specialist
  • School resource coordinator
  • Licensed teacher
  • Inclusion advocate
  • IDEA attorney (with advanced degree)
  • Private consultant
  • Non-profit organization director
  • State, county and school district department directors or coordinators.
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