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2024 Best Special Education Schools in Iowa

9 Colleges in Iowa
180 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$51,893 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in special education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #29 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Special Education Schools in Iowa ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 180 degrees in special education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in Iowa Your choice of special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Special Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Special Education Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Special Ed

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Special Education Schools in Iowa ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Special Education in Iowa

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the special ed degree levels they offer.

10 Top Iowa Schools in Special Ed

1
Morningside crest
Morningside College
Sioux City, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$51,893 Median Starting Salary

Morningside College is a good option for students interested in a degree in special education. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Morningside is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 9th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 102 special education students who graduated with this degree at Morningside in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, special ed degree recipients usually earn an average of $51,893 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in special education from Morningside College

2
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IA

University of Iowa is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in special education. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were about 8 special education students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Iowa

3
NWC crest
Northwestern College
Orange City, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IA

Any student pursuing a degree in special education has to look into Northwestern College. Located in the distant town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 11th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 9 special education students who graduated with this degree at NWC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Northwestern College

4
BVU crest
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IA
7.1% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in special education needs to take a look at Buena Vista University. Located in the town of Storm Lake, BVU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 19th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 14 special education students who graduated with this degree at BVU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Buena Vista University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
33 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

Located in the rural area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 17th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 33 special education students who graduated with this degree at UIU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Upper Iowa University

6
Dordt crest
Dordt University
Sioux Center, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IA

Located in the remote town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #428 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Dordt is a great university overall.

There were about 3 special education students who graduated with this degree at Dordt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Dordt University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IA

Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were roughly 4 special education students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Northern Iowa

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IA
66.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were about 3 special education students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Iowa State University

8
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA

Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #224 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drake is a great university overall.More information about a degree in special education from Drake University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IA

Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Lamoni. This university ranks 18th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 3 special education students who graduated with this degree at Graceland Lamoni in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Graceland University - Lamoni


 

Best Special Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 631
Missouri 283 492
Kansas 266 396
Nebraska 238 338
North Dakota 210 181
South Dakota 204 94

View All Rankings >

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

Special Ed Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 101
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 19
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 17
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities 9
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 9
Elementary Special Education 8
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 6
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 4
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 3
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 3

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Special Ed

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 1,609
Teacher Education Subject Specific 719
Educational Administration 340
General Education 226
Student Counseling 191
Curriculum & Instruction 129
Teaching English or French 48
Other Education 31
Educational Assessment 25
Instructional Media Design 11

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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