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2024 Best General Special Education Schools

491 Colleges in the United States
24,497 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded
General Special Education is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #36 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 491 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best General Special Education Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 24,497 degrees in general special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great General Special Education School

Best General Special Education Schools The teaching students with disabilities program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Special Education rankings. We derive our Best Overall General Special Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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.

General Special Education Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Teaching Students with Disabilities
Bachelor's Degrees in Teaching Students with Disabilities
Master's Degrees in Teaching Students with Disabilities
Doctor's Degrees in Teaching Students with Disabilities

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Special Education Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 General Special Education in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the teaching students with disabilities degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Teaching Students with Disabilities

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In NY
45.5% Growth in Graduates

Teachers College at Columbia University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in general special education. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.

There were about 22 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Teachers College at Columbia University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WA
87 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat Western Washington University if you wish to pursue a degree in general special education. Located in the small city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 87 general special education students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Western Washington University

3
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TN
53 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in general special education has to take a look at Vanderbilt University. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were about 53 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from Vanderbilt University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DC
31 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

George Washington University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in general special education. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were about 31 general special education students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from George Washington University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In VA
359 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 359 general special education students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from George Mason University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN
337 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Ball State is a large public university located in the city of Muncie. This university ranks 6th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were roughly 337 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from Ball State University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
186 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal. This university ranks 8th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 186 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Illinois State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NJ
142 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

TCNJ is a medium-sized public college located in the large suburb of Ewing. This college ranks 5th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 142 general special education students who graduated with this degree at TCNJ in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from The College of New Jersey

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MN
68 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

10
Touro crest
Touro College
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
90 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Touro is a large private not-for-profit college located in the large city of New York. This college ranks 31st out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 90 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Touro in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Touro College

11
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In WA

Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Spokane. This university ranks 3rd out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 22 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Gonzaga University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
52 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 52 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

13
Providence crest
Providence College
Providence, RI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In RI
43 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Providence is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Providence. A Best Colleges rank of #120 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Providence is a great college overall.

There were approximately 43 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Providence in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Providence College

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In UT
84 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

USU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Logan. This university ranks 5th out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were about 84 general special education students who graduated with this degree at USU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from Utah State University

15
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
434 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. This university ranks 33rd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 434 general special education students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from National University

16
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In FL
87 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

UF is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 87 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Florida

17
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In OH
3.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 26 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Dayton

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WI
69 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 69 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Wisconsin - Madison

19
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA
145 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 145 general special education students who graduated with this degree at WCUPA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In GA
59 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 59 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of Georgia

21
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IN
37 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were about 37 general special education students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Indiana University - Bloomington

22
Towson crest
Towson University
Towson, MD
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MD
61 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Towson is a large public university located in the city of Towson. This university ranks 6th out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were approximately 61 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Towson in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general special education from Towson University

23
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In MA
34 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 34 general special education students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Boston University

24
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In AZ
150 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

NAU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff. This university ranks 5th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were about 150 general special education students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from Northern Arizona University

25
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In ND
128 Teaching Students with Disabilities Degrees Awarded

UND is a fairly large public university located in the city of Grand Forks. This university ranks 1st out of 12 schools for overall quality in the state of North Dakota.

There were approximately 128 general special education students who graduated with this degree at UND in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general special education from University of North Dakota

Rest of the Top 50 Best General Special Education Schools

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27
28
29
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA
30
31
32
LIU Post crest
LIU Post
Brookville, NY

32

33
34
35
36
37
38
WGU crest
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT
39
40

41

42
43
Lamar University crest
Lamar University
Beaumont, TX
44
45
Morningside crest
Morningside College
Sioux City, IA
46
47
48
49
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY

 

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best General Special Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 491 different United States general special education schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
50 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
51 Augustana University Sioux Falls, SD
52 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
53 New York University New York, NY
54 Whitworth University Spokane, WA
55 Minot State University Minot, ND
56 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
57 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
58 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
59 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
60 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
61 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
62 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
63 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
64 Clemson University Clemson, SC
65 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
66 Simmons University Boston, MA
67 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
68 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
69 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
70 Washington State University Pullman, WA
71 University of Mary Bismarck, ND
72 Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA
73 Rhode Island College Providence, RI

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best General Special Education Schools award.

Rank College Location
74 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
75 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
76 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
77 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
78 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL
79 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
80 Baylor University Waco, TX
81 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
82 Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL
83 Lewis University Romeoville, IL
84 Seattle University Seattle, WA
85 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
86 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
87 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
88 Pace University - New York New York, NY
89 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
90 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
91 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
92 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
93 Lipscomb University Nashville, TN
94 Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA
95 Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI
96 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA
97 Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI
98 Ashland University Ashland, OH
98 Kean University Union, NJ

General Special Education by Region

View the Best General Special Education Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 17 majors within the Special Education area of study, General Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Teaching Students with Disabilities

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 3,111
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 1,789
Elementary Special Education 1,625
Other Special Education & Teaching 1,227
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 1,133
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 655
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 540
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 504
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 415
Education of the Deaf 363

View All Teaching Students with Disabilities Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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