Special Education
Education · federal classification: Special Education and Teaching
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,353 | $45,653 to $55,170 | 196 | 99% |
| Post-baccalaureate Certificate | $64,773 | $58,686 to $68,990 | 10 | 100% |
| Graduate/Professional Certificate | $66,392 | $57,800 to $75,887 | 20 | 100% |
| Master's Degree | $62,212 | $56,408 to $67,599 | 322 | 100% |
| Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $79,956 | $67,322 to $80,481 | 5 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +2% (2025 to 2035), about 32,000 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | $74,260 | -0.2% | 10,400 |
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School | $66,810 | -0.4% | 6,000 |
| Interpreters and Translators | $60,170 | +2% | 6,000 |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $75,350 | +2.5% | 5,300 |
| Special Education Teachers, All Other | $76,580 | +1.9% | 2,300 |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | $64,830 | +2.4% | 2,000 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a special education program, of 875 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- Ball State University
- Grand Canyon University
- Arizona State University Digital Immersion
- Western Governors University
- Touro University
- Lamar University
- Liberty University
- CUNY Hunter College
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.