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2024 Best Special Education Schools in California

28 Colleges in California
3,154 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$59,751 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #29 in popularity, special education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,154 degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in California The special ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Special Education rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for special education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Special Education Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Special Ed

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Special Education Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Special Education in California

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the special ed degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top California Schools in Special Ed

1
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
436 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
27.1% Growth in Graduates

National University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in special education. National University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #196 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means National University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 436 special education students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent year we have data available. Special Education degree recipients from National University get an earnings boost of approximately $3,069 above the average earnings of special education majors.

More information about a degree in special education from National University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
13.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat California State University - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in special education. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 84th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 84 special education students who graduated with this degree at Cal State LA in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from California State University - Los Angeles get an earnings boost of approximately $21,253 above the average earnings of special education graduates.

More information about a degree in special education from California State University - Los Angeles

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61st Most Popular In CA

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in special education. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 2 special education students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from University of California - Berkeley

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
20.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in special education needs to take a look at Loyola Marymount University. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.

There were roughly 40 special education students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $58,018 for their early career.

More information about a degree in special education from Loyola Marymount University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
103 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

Brandman University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in special education. Located in the city of Irvine, Brandman is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 51st out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 103 special education students who graduated with this degree at Brandman in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Brandman University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61st Most Popular In CA

UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 2 special education students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from University of California - Los Angeles

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$67,171 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #186 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 28 special education students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the special education major at California State University - Long Beach make $7,420 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in special education from California State University - Long Beach

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
65th Most Popular In CA
57 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #188 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 57 special education students who graduated with this degree at SMC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Saint Mary’s College of California

8

Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.

There were about 26 special education students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the special ed program make an average of $53,287 for their early career.

More information about a degree in special education from Chapman University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$70,151 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 69th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 19 special education students who graduated with this degree at PLNU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education program at Point Loma Nazarene University earn $10,400 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in special education from Point Loma Nazarene University


 

Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 230
Oregon 266 217
Nevada 192 215
Hawaii 164 49
Alaska 119 27

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 1,605
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 1,455
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 28
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 18
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 16
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 15
Other Special Education & Teaching 15
Education of the Deaf 2

View All Special Ed Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 7,601
General Education 7,597
Educational Administration 2,692
Student Counseling 2,023
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,094
Curriculum & Instruction 614
Instructional Media Design 490
Other Education 435
Teaching English or French 372
Teaching Assistants 247

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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