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2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region

10 Ranked Colleges
35 Degrees Awarded
$28,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 33,249 people earned their degree in special education, making the major the 39th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, special education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,879 and had an average of $28,500 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,757 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,366 and $28,924 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 35 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,428 and $121,375 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in special education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality special education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the special education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 10 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Special Education in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Illinois State Special Education Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified doctorate’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Special Education at University of Illinois at Chicago

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region doctor’s degree special ed students list, UW - Madison has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Special Education at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#4

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ball State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Ball State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ball State are $26,204, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Special Education at Ball State

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s special ed degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Special Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#6

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan
#6 in overall quality

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. WMU is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Western Michigan University are $31,355.

Read full report on Special Education at Western Michigan University

#7

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s special ed students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full IU Bloomington Special Education Report

#8

University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio
#9 in overall quality

University of Toledo landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Toledo is a fairly large public school situated in Toledo, Ohio. It awarded 1 doctorate’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Toledo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Toledo are $27,067.

Read more about Special Education at University of Toledo

#9

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#8 in overall quality

Michigan State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s special ed degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Special Education at Michigan State

#10

Wayne State University

Detroit, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

Wayne State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Special Ed Schools for a Doctorate in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wayne State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Special Education Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Wayne State are $37,215.

Read more about Special Education at Wayne State University

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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