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2024 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

25 Colleges in Pennsylvania
824 Bachelor's Degrees
$40,978 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in special education, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #55 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 25 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 824 bachelor'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 Bachelor's Degree

Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of special education for getting your bachelor'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 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 bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor'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 full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for special education students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Special Education Schools

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

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Special Education in Pennsylvania

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

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools for a Bachelor's in Special Ed

1

It's hard to beat West Chester University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in special education. WCUPA is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of West Chester.

Bachelor's recipients from the special education degree program at West Chester University of Pennsylvania get $2,079 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

2
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA
20 Annual Graduates
$46,850 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Saint Joseph's University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in special education. St. Joe's is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Special Education bachelor's degree recipients from Saint Joseph's University earn a boost of about $5,872 over the typical income of special education graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Saint Joseph’s University

3
73 Annual Graduates
$43,694 Median Starting Salary
$29,737 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat Millersville University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in special education. Located in the suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the special education degree program at Millersville University of Pennsylvania earn $2,716 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Millersville University of Pennsylvania

4
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA

It is hard to beat Messiah University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in special education. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Messiah University

5
131 Annual Graduates
$33,910 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

SRU is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.

After graduation, special ed bachelor's recipients typically earn about $33,910 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

6
15 Annual Graduates
$44,750 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Annville, LVC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the special education degree program at Lebanon Valley College get $3,772 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Lebanon Valley College

7
La Salle crest
La Salle University
Philadelphia, PA
14 Annual Graduates
$43,095 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

La Salle is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Bachelor's recipients from the special education major at La Salle University earn $2,117 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from La Salle University

8
32 Annual Graduates
$45,208 Median Starting Salary
$28,500 Median Student Debt

Ship is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Shippensburg.

Special Education bachelor's degree recipients from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of around $4,230 over the typical earnings of special education majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

8
23 Annual Graduates
$40,041 Median Starting Salary
$27,656 Median Student Debt

Clarion University is a small public university located in the town of Clarion.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career income of $40,041.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Clarion University of Pennsylvania

9
50 Annual Graduates
$35,178 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Indiana, IUP is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

After graduating, special ed bachelor's recipients typically earn about $35,178 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

Best Special Education Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 275 761
Maryland 207 192
New Jersey 193 137
Delaware 130 10
District of Columbia 126 0

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 550
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 213
Elementary Special Education 39
Other Special Education & Teaching 13
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs 8
Education of the Deaf 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 2,333
Teacher Education Subject Specific 546
General Education 106
Other Education 36
Education Philosophy 21
Educational Assessment 19
Educational Administration 7
Teaching English or French 4

Notes and References

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