by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Special Education is the 29th most popular major in the country with 36,792 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, special education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $45,679 and had an average of $24,977 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 6,264 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,394 and $26,337 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 3,080 special education graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,892 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 96 colleges that offered a degree in special education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular special education programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree special ed students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ball State University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s. Ball State is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,369 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American College of Education. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this medium-sized private for-profit school awarded 139 diplomas to qualified masters’s special ed students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 96 schools in the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, National Louis University landed the #3 spot on the list. NLU is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 116 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 67 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Illinois at Chicago
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 60 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Toledo ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. University of Toledo is located in Toledo, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
Oakland University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 58 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Eastern Michigan University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. Eastern Michigan is a fairly large school located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that handed out 52 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #9. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Special Education at Michigan State University
University of Wisconsin - Superior did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. Superior, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Wisconsin - Superior Special Education Report
DePaul University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 45 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Miami University - Oxford ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large school located in Oxford, Ohio that handed out 43 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Aurora University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 42 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 42 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Cleveland State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at Cleveland State University
With a ranking of #16, Carroll University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Carroll U is a small school located in Waukesha, Wisconsin that handed out 36 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Xavier University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s special ed degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #17. MVNU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Vernon, Ohio. It awarded 35 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Special Education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. OHIO Athens is located in Athens, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Special Education at Ohio University - Athens Campus
Muskingum University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in New Concord, Ohio, and it awarded 32 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #19. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 32 masters’s special ed degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at Concordia University, Chicago
Cardinal Stritch University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. Cardinal Stritch University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 31 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne
Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #24. Kent State is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Special Education at Kent State University at Kent
Notre Dame College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s ranking. NDC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Special Ed Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Master’s list. Dominican U is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 masters’s special ed degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
