The best master’s degrees in special education

At the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development at Boston University, you could earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in special education. The program specializations allow students to focus on particular grades or areas outside of formal education settings, including:

• General special education
• General special education and social work (dual degree program)
• Special education teaching licensure and social work (dual degree program)
• Special education administration*
• Teacher of students with moderate disabilities (pre-k-grade 8) combined with elementary education (grades 1-6)
• Teacher of students with moderate disabilities (pre-k-8)
• Teacher of students with moderate disabilities (grades 5-12)
• Teacher of students with severe disabilities (ages 3-21)

The program is taught in person at the campus in Boston or can be organized through partner schools. The teaching specializations involve a practicum with the relevant age group. Coursework includes special education cognition, learning, and behavior; assessment in special education procedure; and methods in special education. 
 

The Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education is part of the School of Education at UW-Madison. It offers a master of science in special education with 2 possible concentrations:

• Teacher certification
• Research and theory

The program aims to equip students with professional skills to apply for the Wisconsin cross-categorical special education license to work with students aged 6-13 and ages 10-21. Alternatively, the research program advances students’ analytical skills, preparing them for academic positions or roles in community organizations.

Teaching specialists will complete a practicum and a student teaching seminar. Research students will sit a comprehensive exam and produce a project or thesis. Coursework includes research methods in rehabilitation, mental health, special education, and multicultural issues in special education. 

Through the College of Education at Clemson, you can earn a Master of Education (M.Ed) in special education. The course sequence is verified by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). The program has an emphasis in multi-tiered systems of support, academics, and behavior, but doesn’t offer field experience. It’s best suited to those already working in a school or formal educational setting, as access to students will be required for projects.

It’s taught online, which makes it flexible enough to fit around your existing schedule. Coursework includes advanced classroom management, applied behavior analysis, and behavior analytic supervision. 

Through the Department of Educational Psychology at the College of Education and Human Development at UMN, you could earn a Master of Arts (M.A.) in special education. The program is part of the educational psychology degree and has an emphasis in applied behavior analysis. Students have the option to choose a thesis route or complete a research project.

Through electives, the program can be tailored to focus on college teaching, research, or consulting. The program is taught in person at the campus in Minneapolis.
Coursework includes classroom management and behavior analytic problem solving, interventions for behavioral problems in school settings, and educating preschoolers with disabilities – specialized approaches and interventions. 

The College of Education at UW offers an M.Ed. in early childhood special education. There are 3 program options:

• Initial teaching certification
• Special education endorsement
• Master’s only

These choices make it possible to gain something from the program, whether you’re not yet qualified or already have the necessary certification and endorsement. It’s also possible to complete a special education program with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis.

The program is taught at the University of Washington campus in Seattle; a version is also available online. Coursework includes autism and other social, communication, and developmental disabilities, ethics in applied behavior analysis, and instructional methods for students with moderate to severe disabilities. As part of the program, students will complete field experiences at early intervention settings, as well as preschool and elementary schools.
 

The College of Education at Purdue delivers a Master of Science (M.S.) in special education. There are several tracks to choose from:

• Master’s only without a practicum
• Master’s with initial special education licensure
• Master’s with advanced special educational licensure
• Master’s with advanced special educational licensure (intense only)
• Licensure only—mild or mild and intense

This degree is taught online and classes are asynchronous, which means you can fit them around your schedule.

Students pursuing licensure will need to complete a practicum and student teaching seminar. Coursework covers intervention strategies and research, advanced characteristics of children with mild disabilities, and identification, evaluation, and assessment of exceptional individuals

At the College of Education at TCU, you could earn an M.Ed. in special education. The college works with 2 campus laboratory schools providing excellent practical learning opportunities for students. The program is designed for those that have already achieved licensure. There are several options:

• Special education
• Special education accelerated (TCU undergraduates only)
• Special education with educational diagnostician certification

The program is taught in person at the campus in Fort Worth. Coursework involves understanding exceptional children and youth at risk, planning and instruction in academically diverse classrooms, motivating and managing students in the classroom, and technology for diverse learners. It also includes a research component and practicum.

At Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, you could earn an M.Ed. in special education. There are several program concentrations available:

• Applied behavior analysis
• Early childhood
• High incidence
• Low incidence – severe disabilities
• Low incidence – visual disabilities

The program includes fieldwork with a range of students and research projects. It’s taught in person at the Peabody College campus in Nashville. Each program concentration will involve a comprehensive exam and a project or thesis. Coursework modules comprise management procedures for academic and social behavior, trends and issues for students with behavior disorders, and advanced issues in family intervention.

The School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Kansas delivers a number of master’s degree programs in special education. Students can choose from:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• Early childhood unified
• High incidence disabilities
• Low incidence disabilities
• Secondary special education and transition

Within each program concentration, you can choose licensure and endorsement or a non-teacher track.

The program includes a practicum, an advanced practicum, and culminates in either a master’s project or a thesis. Coursework covers inclusive strategies and interventions for preschoolers, assessment for transition planning, and family and interprofessional collaboration in special education. Some concentrations are available online while others are taught at the campus in Lawrence.

Through the College of Education at FSU, you could earn a combined bachelor of science (B.S.) and M.S. degree in special education. It aims to equip you with the skills to be eligible for a Florida Professional Educator’s Certificate in Exceptional Student Education (K-12) with endorsements in autism spectrum disorders, reading, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

The program includes field experiences and student teaching. Students need an associate of arts, or to have completed the general education curriculum at FSU before enrolling on this program.  Coursework covers assessment and methods in early childhood special education, assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, and methods for teaching students with low incidence disabilities. The program is taught in person at the campus in Tallahassee.