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2024 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

9 Colleges in Virginia
863 Master's Degrees
$47,769 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #8 in popularity, special education is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 9 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 863 master's degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Master's Degree

Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Virginia Your choice of special education for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Special Ed Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in Virginia

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in special education.

Top Virginia Schools for a Master's in Special Ed

1

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in special education has to look into George Mason University. GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Special Education master's degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of approximately $10,572 over the average earnings of special education graduates.

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

2
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

It is difficult to beat Liberty University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in special education. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, special ed master's recipients usually make around $42,765 at the beginning of their careers.

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

3

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in special education needs to check out Virginia Commonwealth University. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduating, special ed master's recipients generally make around $46,456 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in special education from Virginia Commonwealth University

4
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in special education. JMU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg.

Students who graduate with their master's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $47,042.

More information about a master’s in special education from James Madison University

5

Located in the city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $46,308.

More information about a master’s in special education from Old Dominion University

6
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA

Regent is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

Master's students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn around $47,405 in their early career salary.

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

7
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA

Radford is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Radford.

Students who graduate with their master's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career earnings of $46,136.

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

8
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Lynchburg, Lynchburg is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in special education from University of Lynchburg

9

Located in the city of Norfolk, Norfolk State is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in special education from Norfolk State University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 208 580
Georgia 190 265
North Carolina 178 83
Tennessee 166 127
Alabama 151 210
Kentucky 147 391
Louisiana 147 47
South Carolina 146 102
Mississippi 145 216
Arkansas 121 227
West Virginia 112 41

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Special Education is one of 14 different types of Education programs to choose from.

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 845
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 18

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 880
Teacher Education Grade Specific 862
Curriculum & Instruction 804
General Education 785
Student Counseling 657
Teacher Education Subject Specific 311
Other Education 172
Teaching English or French 41
Instructional Media Design 33

Notes and References

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