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2024 Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee

16 Colleges in Tennessee
335 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$39,838 Avg Early-Career Salary
Special Education is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #29 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 335 degrees in special education to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in Tennessee Your choice of special education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Special Education School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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 Tennessee ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Special Education in Tennessee

The schools below may not offer all types of special ed degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Tennessee Schools in Special Ed

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
15.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in special education has to look into Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 64 special education students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the special education major at Vanderbilt University make $7,357 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in special education from Vanderbilt University

2
Lipscomb crest
Lipscomb University
Nashville, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
50.8% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Lipscomb University if you want to pursue a degree in special education. Lipscomb is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #577 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lipscomb is a great university overall.

There were about 59 special education students who graduated with this degree at Lipscomb in the most recent data year. Special Education degree recipients from Lipscomb University receive an earnings boost of about $3,384 over the average income of special education majors.

More information about a degree in special education from Lipscomb University

3
Lee University crest
Lee University
Cleveland, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,093 Median Starting Salary

Lee University is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in special education. Located in the small city of Cleveland, Lee University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #950 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Lee University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 13 special education students who graduated with this degree at Lee University in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn around $37,093 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in special education from Lee University

4
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
63 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$39,898 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in special education needs to take a look at University of Memphis. UofM is a very large public university located in the large city of Memphis. A Best Colleges rank of #748 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.

There were approximately 63 special education students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program make about $39,898 in the first couple years of their career.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TN

Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #173 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were roughly 19 special education students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

6
Carson - Newman crest
Carson - Newman University
Jefferson City, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TN
31 Special Ed Degrees Awarded

Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small suburb of Jefferson City. A Best Colleges rank of #795 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carson - Newman is a great university overall.

There were about 31 special education students who graduated with this degree at Carson - Newman in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Carson - Newman University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,691 Median Starting Salary
$14,000 Median Student Debt

Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro. A Best Colleges rank of #866 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Middle Tennessee State University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 10 special education students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn an average of $37,691 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in special education from Middle Tennessee State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In TN

FHU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Henderson. This university ranks 25th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 7 special education students who graduated with this degree at FHU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Freed-Hardeman University

9

Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 29 special education students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent data year. After graduating, special ed degree recipients generally earn around $33,928 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from East Tennessee State University

10
Union crest
Union University
Jackson, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In TN

Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Jackson. A Best Colleges rank of #579 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Union is a great university overall.

There were roughly 2 special education students who graduated with this degree at Union in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in special education from Union University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia287423
Florida282999
North Carolina279372
Virginia274994
South Carolina248255
Kentucky244573
Louisiana24268
Mississippi234269
Arkansas234274
Alabama233404
West Virginia20746

View All Rankings >

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

Special Ed Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Special Education309
Other Special Education & Teaching9
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities6
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented3
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism2
Elementary Special Education2
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs2
Education of the Deaf2

View All Special Ed Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific1,501
Educational Administration1,144
Curriculum & Instruction605
General Education554
Teacher Education Subject Specific408
Student Counseling298
Teaching English or French171
Instructional Media Design51
Other Education30
Educational Assessment15

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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