2024 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in District of Columbia

If you pursue a master's degree in special education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #8 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in District of Columbia to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 80 master's degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on special education students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other special education students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for special education to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized special education related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for special education students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Master's Degree Schools in District of Columbia list, to help you choose the best school for you.

 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in District of Columbia

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for special education students seeking a a master's degree.

Top District of Columbia Schools for a Master's in Special Ed

1

George Washington University
Washington, DC

51 Annual Graduates

$58,749 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in special education has to look into George Washington University. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make an average of $58,749 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in special education from George Washington University

2

American University
Washington, DC

11 Annual Graduates

American University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in special education. Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in special education from American University

3

Trinity Washington University
Washington, DC

6 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Trinity Washington University if you want to pursue a master's degree in special education. Trinity College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a master’s in special education from Trinity Washington University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	261	3,329
Pennsylvania	248	910
Maryland	193	142
New Jersey	188	583
Delaware	109	155

View All Rankings >

Special Education Related Rankings by Major

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	29
Other Special Education & Teaching	23
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	11
Education of the Deaf	9
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	6
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs	2

Majors Similar to Special Ed

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Educational Administration	246
Teacher Education Grade Specific	83
International Education	43
Student Counseling	33
Other Education	33
Teacher Education Subject Specific	24
General Education	19
Curriculum & Instruction	19
Teaching English or French	15
Instructional Media Design	13

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks. More about our data sources and methodologies.