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Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

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2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

10 Colleges
$49,862 Avg Salary
$22,246 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Special Education Graduate Certificate School for You

Special Education is the #16 most popular major in California with 1,632 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in California to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California

Check out the special ed graduate certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools

Our analysis found Saint Mary’s College of California to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a graduate certificate in California. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Moraga.

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Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Special Education at California State University - Los Angeles Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great place for special education students working on their graduate certificate. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

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#4

National University

La Jolla, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend National University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at National University Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Southern California

#6

Mills College

Oakland, CA

Mills College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Mills is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.

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With a ranking of #7, California State University - Northridge did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students working on their graduate certificate. Located in the large city of Northridge, CSUN is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Special Education at California State University - Northridge Report

#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a very large student population.

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#9

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Special Education Graduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Mount Saint Mary’s University Report

#10

Holy Names University

Oakland, CA

Holy Names University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate special education programs. Located in the city of Oakland, HNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 90
Oregon 180
Nevada 147
Hawaii 28
Alaska 46

One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
General Education 21,189
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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.

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