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Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in California

30 Colleges
$49,761 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Master's Degree 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.

The Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in California to see which master's degree 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 Master’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the special ed master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools

#1

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Brandman University the best school in California for special education students working on their master’s degree. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.

Full Special Education at Brandman University Report

Out of the 30 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Fresno Pacific University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Fresno Pacific University

Out of the 30 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Point Loma Nazarene University landed the # 3 spot on the list. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - Los Angeles is a great place for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at California State University - Los Angeles

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Notre Dame de Namur University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in California list. NDNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Belmont.

Read full report on Special Education at Notre Dame de Namur University

#6

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Loyola Marymount University

California State University - San Marcos ranked #7 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a large student population.

Read More…

#8

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA

University of Redlands landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree special education programs. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Redlands.

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California State University - Long Beach ranked #9 on this year’s Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

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Concordia University, Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Concordia University, Irvine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.

Full Special Education at Concordia University, Irvine Report

Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges 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 25 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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