Special Education major
Special Education: courses, careers, and where to study
Special Education prepares you to teach students with disabilities and diverse learning needs, designing individualized instruction and support across grade levels and settings.
Special Education focuses on teaching students whose learning differs from typical patterns because of disabilities, developmental delays, or other identified needs. Students learn how to assess where a learner is struggling, write and carry out individualized education plans, and adapt lessons in reading, math, and behavior so each student can make progress. Coursework covers how disabilities affect learning, evidence-based teaching methods, classroom and behavior management, assistive technology, and the federal and state laws that govern services for students with disabilities. Unlike a general elementary or secondary teaching major, which centers on grade-level content for a typical class, Special Education centers on differentiating instruction, collaborating with families and specialists, and serving students one-on-one, in small groups, or alongside general-education teachers in inclusive classrooms.
The typical path is a bachelor's degree, and most programs build in supervised student teaching, a practicum, or a culminating clinical placement in schools so candidates work directly with students before graduating. Teaching in public schools requires a state license or certification, and the specific tests, fieldwork hours, and endorsement areas vary by state and should be verified; some states also expect programmatic accreditation of the preparation program. Graduates work in elementary, middle, and high schools as well as early-intervention settings, resource rooms, self-contained classrooms, and inclusion programs, with related work in tutoring, transition planning, and early childhood services for young children with developmental needs.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of special education teachers, all other, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $67,430 and projects employment to grow about 1.1% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Special Education maps to CIP 13.1001, Special Education and Teaching, General, within the EDUCATION family. The official definition:
A general program that focuses on the design and provision of teaching and other educational services to children or adults with special learning needs or disabilities, and that may prepare individuals to function as special education teachers in a collaborative or team environment. Includes instruction in diagnosing learning disabilities, developing individual education plans, teaching and supervising special education students, special education counseling, and applicable laws and policies.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Special Education is awarded as
Of the 33,679 Special Education credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate3%990
- Associate4%1,404
- Bachelor's24%8,040
- Graduate69%23,245
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 45 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 14 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Characteristics of learning, intellectual, and developmental disabilities
- Writing and managing individualized education plans
- Special education law, due process, and disability rights policy
- Assessment and progress monitoring of specific learning needs
- Behavior management and positive behavioral interventions
- Differentiated and explicit instruction in reading and math
- Assistive technology and accommodations for diverse learners
- Collaboration with families, general educators, and related-service staff
- Supervised practicum and student teaching in school settings
Typical careers
- Special Education Teacher
- Resource Room Teacher
- Inclusion Specialist
- Early Intervention Specialist
- IEP Coordinator
- Behavior Interventionist
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 special education teachers, all other median $67,430).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Special Education, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | $69,590 | 11,100 | -1.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School | $64,880 | 6,300 | -1.9% | Bachelor's degree |
| Special Education Teachers, All Other | $67,430 | 2,900 | +1.1% | Bachelor's degree |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | $62,190 | 2,100 | +1.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Special Education Teachers, Elementary School | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Teaching Assistants, Special Education | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 4 of these 7 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Special Education does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Special Education major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Special Education program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Special Education department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Special Education program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Special Education credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Ball State UniversityIN · 1,723
- Grand Canyon UniversityAZ · 1,564
- Arizona State University Digital ImmersionAZ · 1,555
- Western Governors UniversityUT · 898
- Touro UniversityNY · 754
- Lamar UniversityTX · 492
- American College of EducationIN · 397
- National UniversityCA · 352
- Liberty UniversityVA · 351
- CUNY Hunter CollegeNY · 338
- University of West FloridaFL · 322
- George Mason UniversityVA · 313
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Special Education credentials were awarded
22 states have a distinct enough set of Special Education colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Special Education schools by state
- Special Education in California
- Special Education in Florida
- Special Education in Georgia
- Special Education in Illinois
- Special Education in Maryland
- Special Education in Massachusetts
- Special Education in New York
- Special Education in North Carolina
- Special Education in Pennsylvania
- Special Education in Texas
Related majors
Education
Education prepares graduates for state-licensed teaching careers in public and private K–12 schools, combining content-area study with pedagogy and supervised student-teaching.
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education prepares you to teach and care for children from infancy through the early primary grades, focusing on play-based learning and developmental milestones.
Secondary Education
Secondary Education prepares you to teach a subject to middle- and high-school students, blending content mastery with classroom instruction methods, and suits people who want to teach teens rather than young children.
Psychology
Psychology majors study human cognition, behavior, and emotion, preparing graduates for clinical, research, business, and human-services careers (and graduate school in clinical, counseling, and I/O psych).
Social Work
Social Work prepares graduates for licensed direct practice with individuals, families, and communities, combining behavioral sciences with field placements and an explicit ethical framework.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Special Education degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Special Education degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Special Education path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.