Special Education

Contains Stem Majors

Add Comparison

Total Degrees
Awarded in 2022

35,973

declining 2.23%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,476

declining 0.426%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$34,060

growing 3.17%

Average Wage

$64,648

growing 8.19%

People in Workforce

5.11M

declining 0.39%

Average Employee Age

46.2

declining 0.0596%

About

In 2022, the locations with the highest concentration of Special Education degree recipients are New York, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Muncie, IN. The most common degree awarded to students studying Special Education is a masters degree.

Education

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Special Education and the types of students that study this field. Grand Canyon University awards the most degrees in Special Education in the US, but Ball State University and Bryn Athyn College of the New Church have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Special Education.

Tuition costs for Special Education majors are, on average, $7,476 for in-state public colleges, and $34,060 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Special Education programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (463 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (20,537 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Special Education (2022)

Grand Canyon University
1,850 degrees awarded
Ball State University
1,841 degrees awarded
Arizona State University Digital Immersion (483124)
1,523 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Special Education, is Public, 4-year or above (20,537 completions in 2022).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Special Education programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,476

Median In-State Public

$34,060

Median Out of State Private

Grand Canyon University has the most Special Education degree recipients, with 1,850 degrees awarded in 2022.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Special Education.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Ball State University
28.2%
Bryn Athyn College of the New Church
27.6%
Alder Graduate School of Education
25.9%

Out of all institutions that offer Special Education programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Ball State University has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Special Education, with 28.2%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Special Education

Maricopa County, AZ
3,670 degrees awarded
Delaware County, IN
1,841 degrees awarded
New York County, NY
1,425 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Special Education by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Special Education.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Education graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Education majors is $64,648 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Secondary school teachers, and Education administrators.

The industry that employs the most Education majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

$64,648

Average Wage in Workforce

± $607

8.19%

1 Year Growth

± 1.22%

The average salary for Education majors is $64,648 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Secondary school teachers, and Education administrators.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Education majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Education majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Education majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

The most common occupations Education majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers, Secondary school teachers, and Education administrators.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Education majors working as Elementary & middle school teachers, Special education teachers, and Secondary school teachers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Education majors are Cardiovascular technologists and technicians, Physicians, and Surgeons.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

5.11M

2022 Workforce

± 54,556

0.39%

1 Year Growth

± 1.51%

The number of Education graduates in the workforce has been declining at a rate of 0.39%, from 5.13M in 2021 to 5.11M in 2022.

The largest single share of Education graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (32.4%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Education by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

The most common industries that employ Education majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Child day care services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

The highest paying industries of Education majors, by average wage, are Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing, Petroleum refining, and Footwear manufacturing.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

5.11M

2022 Workforce

± 54,556

0.39%

1 Year Growth

± 1.51%

The number of Education graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 0.39%, from 5.13M in 2021 to 5.11M in 2022.

The industry which employs the most Education graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Education.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Education majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Education majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Education in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Education is 46.2.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Education degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Education (23,818 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

46.2

Average Age in 2022

± 0.147 Years

0.0596%

1 Year Change

± 0.451%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Education. The most common ages of employees with this major are 47 and 40 years old, which represent 2.52% and 2.5% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Special Education are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Postbaccalaureate Certificate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Education are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (87.7%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Special Education.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
23,818 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
5,378 degrees awarded
Black or African American
2,821 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Special Education for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
11,513 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
2,578 degrees awarded
Black or African American Female
1,638 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Masters Degree recipients in Special Education.

White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Special Education is from the 2 Digit Course Education.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
50,652 degree recipients
Philippines
33,752 degree recipients
India
24,186 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Europe
3.03 times more than expected
St Vincent & the Grenadines
2.94 times more than expected
Hungary
2.71 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Europe that hold Education degrees (3.03 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (50,652 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Special Education field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Special Education majors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Special Education majors need more than the average amount of Active Listening, Speaking, and Monitoring.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Special Education majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Active Listening is very distinctive for majors, but the Active Listening, Speaking, and Reading Comprehension are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Keep Exploring

Education

CIP2

Design & Applied Arts

Clinical, Counseling, & Applied Psychology

CIP4