2025 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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.
College Factual looked at 55 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,896 master's degrees in special education during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Master's Degree
The special ed master'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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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 full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for special education students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in the Middle Atlantic Region
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for special education students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
11 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Master's in Special Ed
Hunter College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in special education. Hunter is a fairly large public college located in the large city of New York.
Special Education master's degree recipients from Hunter College receive an earnings boost of approximately $15,119 over the average income of special education graduates.
More information about a master’s in special education from Hunter College
Brooklyn College is a wonderful option for students interested in a master's degree in special education. Located in the city of Brooklyn, Brooklyn College is a public college with a large student population.
Master's recipients from the special education degree program at Brooklyn College earn $15,615 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in special education from Brooklyn College
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in special education has to look into Syracuse University. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $60,047.
More information about a master’s in special education from Syracuse University
The College of New Jersey is a great option for individuals interested in a master's degree in special education. TCNJ is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Ewing.
Master's recipients from the special education degree program at The College of New Jersey earn $2,696 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in special education from The College of New Jersey
CCNY is a large public college located in the large city of New York.
Master's recipients from the special education major at The City College of New York earn $14,773 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in special education from The City College of New York
