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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

14 Colleges in the Southwest Region
3,916 Master's Degrees
$57,662 Avg Early-Career Salary
Special Education is of the hottest master's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #8 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 14 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for special education students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,916 master's degrees in special education during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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Choosing a Great Special Education School for Your Master's Degree

Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region The special ed master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality special ed program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for special education students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Special Ed Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Special Education in the Southwest Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in special education.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Special Ed

1
1,116 Annual Graduates
$54,232 Median Starting Salary

Grand Canyon University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in special education. Grand Canyon University is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the city of Phoenix.

Students who graduate with their master's from the special ed program state that they receive average early career income of $54,232.

More information about a master’s in special education from Grand Canyon University

2

It is hard to beat Northern Arizona University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in special education. NAU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Flagstaff.

After graduating, special ed master's recipients usually make around $58,585 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in special education from Northern Arizona University

3
20 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in special education needs to look into University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman.More information about a master’s in special education from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

4

Arizona State University - Tempe is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in special education. Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, special ed master's recipients typically make about $55,916 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in special education from Arizona State University - Tempe

5

Located in the suburb of Las Cruces, NMSU Main Campus is a public university with a large student population.

Those special education students who get their master's degree from New Mexico State University - Main Campus receive $3,471 more than the standard special ed student.

More information about a master’s in special education from New Mexico State University - Main Campus

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6
1,383 Annual Graduates
$55,916 Median Starting Salary

ASU - Skysong is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.

After graduation, special ed master's recipients usually earn about $55,916 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in special education from Arizona State University - Skysong

7

University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the special ed program earn about $53,491 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of Arizona

8

Located in the city of Albuquerque, UNM is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the special ed program earn an average of $49,070 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of New Mexico - Main Campus

9
30 Annual Graduates

ENMU - Main Campus is a moderately-sized public university located in the remote town of Portales.More information about a master’s in special education from Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus

10

Located in the large city of Phoenix, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, special ed master's recipients generally make an average of $53,842 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in special education from University of Phoenix - Arizona

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Best Special Education Colleges by State

Explore the best special education schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 235 1,213
Arizona 180 3,159
Oklahoma 153 45
New Mexico 114 89
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View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 3,592
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 191
Elementary Special Education 76
Education of the Deaf 30
Other Special Education & Teaching 16
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 10
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 1
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Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 5,120
Teacher Education Grade Specific 3,018
Curriculum & Instruction 2,629
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,569
Student Counseling 1,359
General Education 727
Instructional Media Design 679
Teaching English or French 271
Multilingual Education 135
Other Education 126

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Notes and References

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