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CIP 13.1001 Education

Special Education and Teaching, General

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

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Total graduates

20,861

2025 · 629 schools

International share

1.3%

278 international students

Bachelor's degrees

5,457

0.4% international

Master's degrees

15,094

1.5% international

Overview

Special Education and Teaching, General is a field dedicated to preparing educators to work with students who have diverse learning needs and disabilities. This program focuses on equipping future teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to create inclusive learning environments that cater to the unique requirements of students with physical, emotional, or intellectual challenges.

The curriculum typically includes courses on developmental psychology, instructional strategies, assessment techniques, and behavioral management. Students learn how to develop individualized education plans (IEPs) that outline specific learning goals tailored to each student's abilities. Additionally, they gain insights into various disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, and developmental delays, allowing them to better understand the complexities of each student's experience.

Field experiences, such as internships or student teaching placements, are essential components of the program, providing hands-on experience in real classroom settings. These experiences allow aspiring educators to apply theoretical knowledge in practice, observe different teaching methods, and interact with students with special needs directly.

Graduates of the program are equipped to work in a variety of educational settings, including public schools, private institutions, and specialized programs. They may also find opportunities in advocacy, policy-making, or further research in the realm of special education. Overall, this program is vital for fostering an inclusive education system that supports the learning and development of all students, ensuring that those with special needs receive the attention and resources they deserve.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates grew 25% and the international share went from 1.2% to 1.3%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
63.4%
Asian
2.7%
Hispanic
15.7%
Black
9.9%
Other
7.1%
Intl.
1.3%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 629 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#16 Vanderbilt University Tennessee 51 4
#20 University of California-Berkeley California 1 0
#20 University of California-Los Angeles California 4 0
#26 University of Virginia-Main Campus Virginia 7 0
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 19 1
#31 New York University New York 4 1
#34 University of Florida Florida 40 3
#34 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois 42 3
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 27 4
#34 The University of Texas at Austin Texas 33 3
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 47 4
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 44 0
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 14 0
#44 Lehigh University Pennsylvania 22 2
#49 University of Maryland-College Park Maryland 22 1
#49 University of Rochester New York 19 0
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 28 2
#52 University of Georgia Georgia 58 2
#55 University of Miami Florida 1 1
#55 The Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania 34 1
#59 George Washington University D.C. 12 0
#59 Florida State University Florida 22 0
#59 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minnesota 36 1
#59 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania 4 0
#59 Texas A & M University-College Station Texas 21 0
#69 Michigan State University Michigan 34 1
#72 Syracuse University New York 1 0
#73 University of Connecticut Connecticut 67 3
#73 Howard University D.C. 1 0
#73 Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana 21 3
#73 Binghamton University New York 13 0
#73 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina 8 1
#80 Drexel University Pennsylvania 9 0
#80 Clemson University South Carolina 45 0
#85 University of Delaware Delaware 23 0
#85 Fordham University New York 3 0
#85 Southern Methodist University Texas 3 0
#90 Baylor University Texas 7 0
#90 Texas Christian University Texas 15 0
#90 Gonzaga University Washington 8 0
#95 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois 22 0
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 36 3
#100 Chapman University California 13 0
#100 Florida International University Florida 113 1
#100 University of South Florida-Main Campus Florida 10 0
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 11 0
#109 Loyola Marymount University California 15 0
#109 Fairfield University Connecticut 5 1
#109 Temple University Pennsylvania 28 0
#109 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee 17 0
#116 University of San Francisco California 11 0
#116 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Oklahoma 42 1
#116 University of Oregon Oregon 28 4
#116 Brigham Young University-Provo Utah 38 1
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 100 3
#121 University of Arizona Arizona 76 1
#121 University of Central Florida Florida 78 1
#121 Loyola University Chicago Illinois 6 0
#121 University of Dayton Ohio 10 0
#121 University of South Carolina-Columbia South Carolina 17 1
#121 George Mason University Virginia 250 10
#133 Miami University-Oxford Ohio 43 0
#133 University of Vermont Vermont 13 1
#137 University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama 18 0
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 25 0
#137 San Jose State University California 51 0
#137 St John's University (NY) New York 2 0
#137 Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Pennsylvania 53 0
#137 University of Scranton Pennsylvania 8 0
#137 University of Houston Texas 20 0
#137 James Madison University Virginia 15 0
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 67 1
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 91 6
#148 University of Kentucky Kentucky 21 1
#156 The University of Alabama Alabama 51 0
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 36 0
#156 Quinnipiac University Connecticut 21 0
#156 Kansas State University Kansas 12 0
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 18 0
#156 Seton Hall University New Jersey 13 0
#156 CUNY--City College New York 41 1
#156 Duquesne University Pennsylvania 6 5
#156 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia 35 1
#169 DePaul University Illinois 70 0
#169 Simmons University Massachusetts 43 24
#169 Monmouth University New Jersey 20 0
#169 Touro College New York 107 0
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 37 0
#179 University of Louisville Kentucky 32 0
#179 University of Mississippi Mississippi 12 0
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 54 0
#179 University of Utah Utah 60 0
#186 California Lutheran University California 3 0
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 58 0
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 8 0
#186 Texas Tech University Texas 96 1
#191 Samford University Alabama 1 0
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 13 0
#191 Florida Atlantic University Florida 20 2
#191 Georgia State University Georgia 50 0
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 31 0
#191 Hofstra University New York 11 0
#191 Washington State University Washington 4 1
#202 Sacred Heart University Connecticut 12 0
#202 University of Massachusetts-Boston Massachusetts 6 0
#202 East Carolina University North Carolina 18 0
#202 Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio 60 0
#208 California State University--Fresno California 23 1
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 29 1
#208 University of La Verne California 32 0
#208 University of Idaho Idaho 4 0
#208 Mississippi State University Mississippi 33 0
#208 University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina 20 0
#208 Xavier University Ohio 28 0
#208 University of North Texas Texas 48 1
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 168 0
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 2 0
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 8 0
#219 University of North Carolina--Wilmington North Carolina 3 0
#219 Robert Morris University Pennsylvania 2 0
#227 San Francisco State University California 48 2
#227 Ball State University Indiana 112 0
#227 University of Michigan-Dearborn Michigan 2 0
#227 Russell Sage College New York 5 0
#227 University of North Dakota North Dakota 91 7
#227 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 81 0
#227 University of Texas-San Antonio Texas 5 1
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 17 0
#236 University of Colorado Denver Colorado 27 0
#236 University of North Florida Florida 21 1
#236 Bethel University Minnesota 42 1
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 278 7
#236 University of New Mexico-Main Campus New Mexico 31 1
#236 Kent State University at Kent Ohio 45 1
#236 Portland State University Oregon 76 0
#236 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 196 2
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 17 0
#250 Nova Southeastern University Florida 1 0
#250 Oakland City University Indiana 1 0
#250 University of Missouri--Kansas City Missouri 1 0
#250 New Mexico State University-Main Campus New Mexico 24 0
#250 Pace University-New York New York 68 1
#250 La Salle University Pennsylvania 2 0
#250 Lipscomb University Tennessee 61 0
#250 University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley Texas 84 0
#262 Aurora University Illinois 4 0
#262 University of Maine Maine 43 0
#262 University of New England Maine 1 0
#262 Andrews University Michigan 2 0
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 36 0
#262 George Fox University Oregon 9 0
#262 DeSales University Pennsylvania 17 0
#262 University of South Dakota South Dakota 14 0
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 28 1
#262 Seattle Pacific University Washington 4 1
#276 Northern Arizona University Arizona 67 0
#276 Harding University Arkansas 45 8
#276 Regis University Colorado 4 0
#276 University of St. Francis Illinois 13 0
#276 Marian University (IN) Indiana 3 2
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 98 0
#276 University of Missouri--St. Louis Missouri 10 0
#276 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Ohio 84 0
#276 Widener University Pennsylvania 7 0
#276 Marymount University Virginia 4 0
#288 Biola University California 6 0
#288 University of Hartford Connecticut 83 0
#288 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Illinois 12 0
#288 Wichita State University Kansas 47 0
#288 Arcadia University Pennsylvania 36 0
#288 University of Memphis Tennessee 45 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 15 0
#288 Utah State University Utah 101 0
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 13 0
#299 Azusa Pacific University California 15 0
#299 Southern Connecticut State University Connecticut 38 0
#299 Boise State University Idaho 25 0
#299 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minnesota 15 0
#299 University of Nebraska--Omaha Nebraska 27 0
#299 Utica University New York 8 0
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 15 0
#299 Tennessee Technological University Tennessee 6 0
#299 Concordia University Wisconsin Wisconsin 24 0
#308 Northern Illinois University Illinois 57 1
#308 Oakland University Michigan 15 2
#308 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi 6 0
#308 Wilkes University Pennsylvania 7 0
#317 Kean University New Jersey 27 0
#317 University of Mary North Dakota 9 0
#317 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Pennsylvania 6 0
#317 Prairie View A&M University Texas 5 0
#317 Marshall University West Virginia 17 0
#317 Augusta University Georgia 6 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 11 0
#328 East Tennessee State University Tennessee 15 0
#328 Old Dominion University Virginia 79 0
#332 University of South Alabama Alabama 15 0
#332 Clark Atlanta University Georgia 5 0
#332 Mercy University New York 11 0
#332 University of Findlay Ohio 8 0
#332 Point Park University Pennsylvania 1 0
#332 Texas A&M University--Kingsville Texas 6 0
#332 Texas Woman's University Texas 14 0
#332 University of Lynchburg Virginia 18 0
#342 Concordia University -- Irvine California 2 0
#342 University of Northern Colorado Colorado 115 0
#342 Mississippi College Mississippi 14 0
#342 Missouri State University Missouri 104 1
#342 Daemen University New York 62 4
#342 Campbell University North Carolina 2 0
#342 University of Akron Ohio 15 0
#342 Cleveland State University Ohio 6 1
#342 Lincoln Memorial University Tennessee 14 0
#342 University of Texas--Tyler Texas 10 0
#342 Kennesaw State University Georgia 42 0
#353 Jacksonville State University Alabama 23 0
#353 University of West Georgia Georgia 343 0
#353 Southern Illinois University--Edwardsville Illinois 14 0
#353 Plymouth State University New Hampshire 15 0
#353 Youngstown State University Ohio 38 0
#353 Trevecca Nazarene University Tennessee 3 0
#353 University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Puerto Rico 13 0
#353 Pennsylvania Western University Pennsylvania 85 1
#365 University of Central Arkansas Arkansas 21 0
#365 Indiana State University Indiana 2 0
#365 Northern Kentucky University Kentucky 2 0
#365 Jackson State University Mississippi 3 0
#365 Liberty University Virginia 238 2
#365 Eastern Washington University Washington 13 0
#376 University of Arkansas--Little Rock Arkansas 2 0
#376 Tennessee State University Tennessee 9 1
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 4 0
#382 Grand Canyon University Arizona 1,356 3
#382 National University California 402 0
#382 University of Colorado--Colorado Springs Colorado 28 2
#382 Wilmington University Delaware 58 0
#382 Saint Leo University Florida 4 0
#382 Southeastern University Florida 16 0
#382 Columbus State University Georgia 51 0
#382 Valdosta State University Georgia 80 0
#382 Idaho State University Idaho 1 1
#382 Chicago State University Illinois 14 0
#382 Concordia University-Chicago Illinois 15 0
#382 National Louis University Illinois 165 0
#382 Roosevelt University Illinois 33 0
#382 University of Southern Maine Maine 48 2
#382 Southwestern Oklahoma State University Oklahoma 7 0
#382 Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Texas 11 0
#382 Dallas Baptist University Texas 8 2
#382 East Texas A&M University Texas 12 0
#382 Houston Christian University Texas 1 0
#382 Lamar University Texas 286 0
#382 Regent University Virginia 21 0
#382 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico--Arecibo Puerto Rico 1 0
#382 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Puerto Rico 2 0
#382 Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus Puerto Rico 4 0
#382 Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Puerto Rico 3 0
LAC #72 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire 4 0
LAC #85 Stonehill College Massachusetts 27 2
LAC #85 Susquehanna University Pennsylvania 7 0
LAC #91 Juniata College Pennsylvania 5 0
LAC #111 Whitworth University Washington 10 0
LAC #116 Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio 1 0
LAC #119 Meredith College North Carolina 2 0
LAC #138 Truman State University Missouri 3 0
LAC #142 Eastern Connecticut State University Connecticut 8 0
LAC #146 Gordon College Massachusetts 9 0
LAC #146 Fisk University Tennessee 2 0
LAC #154 SUNY Old Westbury New York 2 0
LAC #157 Randolph College Virginia 5 0
LAC #160 Salem College North Carolina 1 0
LAC #160 Albright College Pennsylvania 5 0
LAC #160 University of Puerto Rico at Cayey Puerto Rico 2 0
LAC #170 Western Oregon University Oregon 48 1
LAC #176 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia 1 0
LAC #177 Grambling State University Louisiana 1 1
LAC #180 Alabama State University Alabama 1 0
LAC #184 Fort Lewis College Colorado 7 0
LAC #184 Indiana University-Southeast Indiana 2 0
LAC #184 Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 3 0
LAC #184 Texas A&M University-Texarkana Texas 1 0
— Arizona State University Digital Immersion Arizona 1,468 18
— Western Governors University Utah 1,216 0
— University of West Florida Florida 383 22
— American College of Education Indiana 325 24
— University of the Cumberlands Kentucky 309 0
— St. Joseph's University-New York New York 243 0
— Alder Graduate School of Education California 153 0
— The College of New Jersey New Jersey 129 0
— Fort Hays State University Kansas 116 0
— University of West Alabama Alabama 115 0
— Bridgewater State University Massachusetts 112 0
— Southeastern Oklahoma State University Oklahoma 112 4
— Alliant International University California 103 0
— Georgia College & State University Georgia 100 0
— Minnesota State University-Mankato Minnesota 91 0
— Georgetown College Kentucky 89 0
— Fitchburg State University Massachusetts 84 0
— Ramapo College of New Jersey New Jersey 84 0
— Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 84 0
— Western Washington University Washington 77 1
— University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Wisconsin 75 0
— Western Kentucky University Kentucky 73 0
— Holy Family University Pennsylvania 70 0
— University of Phoenix Arizona 69 0
— Cambridge College Massachusetts 67 0
— University of Massachusetts Global California 67 0
— University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wisconsin 60 0
— William Paterson University of New Jersey New Jersey 59 0
— Towson University Maryland 58 0
— Radford University Virginia 58 0

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School 163,930 — $77,260
Special Education Teachers, Middle School 95,200 — $73,780
Special Education Teachers, All Other 33,930 — $79,750
Special Education Teachers, Preschool 29,510 — $76,380

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.