2024 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Special Education is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #8 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 40 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 4,506 master's degrees in special education to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Master's Degree
The special ed master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality special ed program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 complete 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 the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in the Southwest Region
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in special education.
10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Special Ed
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in special education needs to check out Lamar University. Located in the city of Beaumont, Lamar University is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those special education students who get their master's degree from Lamar University earn $3,986 more than the typical special ed student.
More information about a master’s in special education from Lamar University
It is hard to beat Texas Tech University if you want to pursue a master's degree in special education. Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those special education students who get their master's degree from Texas Tech University earn $4,364 more than the average special ed grad.
More information about a master’s in special education from Texas Tech University
It's difficult to beat Northern Arizona University if you want to pursue a master's degree in special education. NAU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Flagstaff.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make around $47,156 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in special education from Northern Arizona University
It is difficult to beat Arizona State University - Skysong if you wish to pursue a master's degree in special education. ASU - Skysong is a very large public university located in the city of Scottsdale.
Students who graduate with their master's from the special ed program report average early career wages of $45,202.
More information about a master’s in special education from Arizona State University - Skysong
TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth.More information about a master’s in special education from Texas Christian University
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