2025 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Maryland

If you pursue a master's degree in special education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #8 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Maryland ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 107 master's degrees in special education to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

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

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on special education students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other special education students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for special education to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized special education related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for special education students working on their master's degree.

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 Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Maryland ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in Maryland

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for special education students seeking a a master's degree.

Top Maryland Schools for a Master's in Special Ed

1

Towson University
Towson, MD

31 Annual Graduates

$64,822 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in special education has to look into Towson University. Towson is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Towson.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make about $64,822 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in special education from Towson University

2

University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD

15 Annual Graduates

$67,390 Median Starting Salary

University of Maryland - College Park is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in special education. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, special ed master's recipients typically make around $67,390 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of Maryland - College Park

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	261	3,329
Pennsylvania	248	910
New Jersey	188	583
District of Columbia	154	80
Delaware	109	155

View All Rankings >

Special Education Related Rankings by Major

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

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
General Special Education	43
Other Special Education & Teaching	26
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented	15
Education of the Deaf	11
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	11
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	1

Majors Similar to Special Ed

Related Major	Annual Graduates
General Education	914
Teacher Education Grade Specific	292
Teacher Education Subject Specific	249
Educational Administration	231
Curriculum & Instruction	201
Student Counseling	150
Instructional Media Design	109
Other Education	42
Educational Assessment	41
Teaching English or French	35

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks. More about our data sources and methodologies.