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2024 Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

104 Colleges in the Southeast Region
1,802 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,992 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.

College Factual reviewed 104 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of special education. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,802 bachelor's degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region The special ed bachelor'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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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 bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 the Southeast Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in special education. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

16 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Special Ed

1
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
6 Annual Graduates

Vanderbilt University is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in special education. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Vanderbilt University

2
37 Annual Graduates
$39,042 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat University of Georgia if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in special education. UGA is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Athens.

Bachelor's recipients from the special education degree program at University of Georgia get $2,050 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

3

University of Virginia - Main Campus is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in special education. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from University of Virginia - Main Campus

4
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
76 Annual Graduates
$35,666 Median Starting Salary
$22,250 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in special education needs to check out Auburn University. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career earnings of $35,666.

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

4
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
8 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Florida if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in special education. UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from University of Florida

5
45 Annual Graduates
$38,276 Median Starting Salary
$26,602 Median Student Debt

UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Charlotte.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn an average of $38,276 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

6
44 Annual Graduates
$37,693 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

UA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tuscaloosa.

After graduation, special ed bachelor's recipients generally earn around $37,693 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from The University of Alabama

7
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC

Clemson is a very large public university located in the suburb of Clemson.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the special ed program report average early career income of $36,090.

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

8
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
30 Annual Graduates
$22,709 Median Student Debt

Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Florida State University

9
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR
15 Annual Graduates
$20,500 Median Student Debt

UARK is a fairly large public university located in the city of Fayetteville.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from University of Arkansas

10

Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in special education from George Mason University

11
39 Annual Graduates
$37,105 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Appalachian State is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Boone.

Soon after graduation, special ed bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $37,105 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Appalachian State University

12
17 Annual Graduates
$37,223 Median Starting Salary
$26,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,223.

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

13
20 Annual Graduates
$40,699 Median Starting Salary
$13,509 Median Student Debt

UNF is a large public university located in the large city of Jacksonville.

Those special education students who get their bachelor's degree from University of North Florida earn $3,707 more than the average special ed grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from University of North Florida

14
13 Annual Graduates
$37,803 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Georgia College is a medium-sized public university located in the distant town of Milledgeville.

After graduating, special ed bachelor's recipients generally earn around $37,803 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in special education from Georgia College & State University

15
Lee University crest
Lee University
Cleveland, TN

Lee University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Cleveland.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career income of $37,093.

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

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Special Education students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Special Education Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
16 Florida International University Miami, FL
17 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
18 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
19 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
20 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
21 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
22 Marymount University Arlington, VA
23 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
24 University of Mississippi University, MS
25 Bellarmine University Louisville, KY

Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 391
Georgia 224 152
Tennessee 220 208
North Carolina 213 283
Virginia 213 128
South Carolina 195 148
Kentucky 187 180
Alabama 184 189
Louisiana 171 21
Mississippi 169 50
Arkansas 167 47
West Virginia 147 5

View All Rankings >

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

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 1,483
Other Special Education & Teaching 125
Education of the Deaf 56
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 45
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 26
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 23
Elementary Special Education 13
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness 11
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 11
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 4

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 13,730
Teacher Education Subject Specific 6,173
General Education 603
Other Education 357
Educational Administration 238
Instructional Media Design 53
International Education 36
Teaching English or French 35
Education Philosophy 12
Multilingual Education 2

Notes and References

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