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Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Iowa

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

9 Colleges
$10,460 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,761 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Master's Degree School for You

With 151 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #18 most popular major in Iowa.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 9 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for special ed students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for special ed majors pursuing a master's degree.

Best Iowa Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Special Education

#1

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern College the best value school in Iowa for special education students working on their master’s degree. NWC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Orange City.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at NWC are $6,360 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NWC is ranked #2 for overall quality for special ed in Iowa.

Full Special Education at Northwestern College Report

#2

Morningside College

Sioux City, IA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Morningside College is a great value for special education students working on their master’s degree. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Morningside are $6,516 per year.

Full Special Education at Morningside College Report

#3

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA

The excellent master’s degree programs at Buena Vista University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in Iowa. BVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Storm Lake.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at BVU are $9,936 per year.

Read More…

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Northern Iowa helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value special education schools in Iowa. UNI is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Cedar Falls.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNI are $10,569 per year.

UNI not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.

Read full report on Special Education at University of Northern Iowa

#5

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Mercy University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Mount Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

Mount Mercy graduate students pay an average of $11,176 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Mount Mercy University Report

#6

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa is a very large public school located in the small city of Iowa City.

Iowa graduate students pay an average of $12,065 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Iowa is ranked #4 for overall quality for special ed in Iowa.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, Iowa State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Iowa State are $11,404 a year.

Read More…

Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Located in the rural area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Graceland Lamoni graduate students pay an average of $11,187 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Special Education at Graceland University - Lamoni

#9

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

Upper Iowa University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Fayette.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UIU are $19,685 a year.

Read full report on Special Education at Upper Iowa University

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 358
Minnesota 679
Kansas 441
Nebraska 155
North Dakota 161
South Dakota 11

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

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 9 schools only.

  • 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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