Special Education Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Special Education major prepares you to teach and support students with disabilities. Special education majors learn disability characteristics, individualized education programs (IEPs), assessment, behavior support and adapted instruction.

A Special Education major includes coursework in characteristics of disabilities, individualized education programs, assessment, behavior support, and assistive technology and more. You build skills such as individualized instruction, behavior management, collaboration with families and specialists, and documentation. Programs often include student teaching. Typical degrees: bachelor's and master's degrees.

Typical courses include characteristics of disabilities, individualized education programs, assessment, behavior support, assistive technology, and student teaching. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Special Education is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Bachelor's and master's degrees. In the latest federal data, 287 colleges reported certificate awards, 61 colleges reported associate awards, 440 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 553 colleges reported master’s awards, and 56 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to special education include special education teacher, preschool special education teacher, middle school special education teacher, high school special education teacher, teacher assistant, and rehabilitation counselor. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include special education teacher (typical training: 4 years plus licensing), preschool special education teacher (typical training: 4 years plus licensure), middle school special education teacher (typical training: 4 years plus licensure), high school special education teacher (typical training: 4 years plus licensure), teacher assistant (typical training: Weeks to 2 years depending on the district), and rehabilitation counselor (typical training: 6 years (bachelor’s + master’s)).

Special Education majors build skills such as individualized instruction, behavior management, collaboration with families and specialists, documentation, and patience.

Good pairings include Psychology (explains learning and behavior differences) and American Sign Language (helps you work with deaf and hard-of-hearing students).

Often, yes. Programs commonly include student teaching. Ask each college how its program arranges hands-on work.

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as special education teacher, preschool special education teacher, and middle school special education teacher, and enjoy subjects like characteristics of disabilities and individualized education programs. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes characteristics of disabilities, individualized education programs, and assessment; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

871 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (93), New York (61), Pennsylvania (60), Ohio (39), and Illinois (34), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

806 of the colleges that offer special education also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Special Education prepares you to teach and support students with disabilities. Elementary Education prepares you to teach children in kindergarten through the elementary grades. Special Education leads to careers such as special education teacher and preschool special education teacher, while Elementary Education leads to careers such as elementary school teacher and kindergarten teacher.

Special Education prepares you to teach and support students with disabilities. Secondary Education prepares you to teach a subject such as math, science, English or history in middle and high school. Special Education leads to careers such as special education teacher and preschool special education teacher, while Secondary Education leads to careers such as high school teacher and middle school teacher.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to special education, such as Special Education Teacher Training.