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MASTER'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 1310

Special Education and Teaching: is this master's degree worth it?

National picture across 288 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$62,770 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$62,770Median year-4 earnings

$19,056Average institution net-price context

Not availableMedian federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$62,770Median reported earnings · year 4

$63,735Average reported earnings · year 5

Not availableMedian federal debt

22thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

288Reporting programs

288With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $49,835
Federal debt: $25,620
Reporting programs: 4

2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $41,141
Federal debt: $16,669
Reporting programs: 2

2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $51,258
Federal debt: $26,717
Reporting programs: 205

185 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $67,859
Federal debt: $23,274
Reporting programs: 9

8 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $62,770
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 288

288 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $98,012
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $70,411
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 17

17 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings: $79,956
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 5

5 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$57,549National median$62,77075th percentile$68,419

288 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1California State University, Los Angeles$104,208 2California State University, Fullerton$95,677 3California State University, Dominguez Hills$95,089 4CUNY City College$94,601 5Notre Dame de Namur University$94,588 6Pace University$91,867 7California State University, Long Beach$91,444 8CUNY Brooklyn College$90,918 9University of San Francisco$89,791 10CUNY Hunter College$88,978

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Education Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1081 · 15 crosswalk linksSpecial Education Teachers, All OtherSOC 25-2059 · 13 crosswalk linksSpecial Education Teachers, Elementary SchoolSOC 25-2056 · 13 crosswalk linksSpecial Education Teachers, KindergartenSOC 25-2055 · 13 crosswalk linksSpecial Education Teachers, Middle SchoolSOC 25-2057 · 13 crosswalk linksSpecial Education Teachers, PreschoolSOC 25-2051 · 13 crosswalk linksSpecial Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolSOC 25-2058 · 13 crosswalk linksInterpreters and TranslatorsSOC 27-3091 · 1 crosswalk linksNO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 1 crosswalk linksTeaching Assistants, Special EducationSOC 25-9043 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND TEACHING

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	ROI status	Cost context
1	California State University, Los AngelesMaster's Degree	Los Angeles, CA	$104,208	Not available	Baseline needed	$3,967
2	California State University, FullertonMaster's Degree	Fullerton, CA	$95,677	Not available	Baseline needed	$6,555
3	California State University, Dominguez HillsMaster's Degree	Carson, CA	$95,089	Not available	Baseline needed	$8,615
4	CUNY City CollegeMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$94,601	Not available	Baseline needed	$3,776
5	Notre Dame de Namur UniversityMaster's Degree	Belmont, CA	$94,588	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
6	Pace UniversityMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$91,867	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,892
7	California State University, Long BeachMaster's Degree	Long Beach, CA	$91,444	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,440
8	CUNY Brooklyn CollegeMaster's Degree	Brooklyn, NY	$90,918	Not available	Baseline needed	$3,103
9	University of San FranciscoMaster's Degree	San Francisco, CA	$89,791	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,431
10	CUNY Hunter CollegeMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$88,978	Not available	Baseline needed	$2,984
11	Manhattan UniversityMaster's Degree	Riverdale, NY	$87,967	Not available	Baseline needed	$27,256
12	Point Loma Nazarene UniversityMaster's Degree	San Diego, CA	$86,603	Not available	Baseline needed	$38,729
13	College of Staten Island CUNYMaster's Degree	Staten Island, NY	$86,157	Not available	Baseline needed	$5,579
14	National UniversityMaster's Degree	San Diego, CA	$85,908	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,878
15	California State University, NorthridgeMaster's Degree	Northridge, CA	$85,826	Not available	Baseline needed	$7,021
16	Loyola Marymount UniversityMaster's Degree	Los Angeles, CA	$85,524	Not available	Baseline needed	$48,381
17	CUNY Queens CollegeMaster's Degree	Queens, NY	$85,359	Not available	Baseline needed	$4,195
18	Touro University CaliforniaMaster's Degree	Vallejo, CA	$84,787	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
19	CUNY Lehman CollegeMaster's Degree	Bronx, NY	$84,758	Not available	Baseline needed	$3,148
20	St. John's University-New YorkMaster's Degree	Queens, NY	$84,195	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,999
21	San Diego State UniversityMaster's Degree	San Diego, CA	$84,034	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,364
22	Florida Memorial UniversityMaster's Degree	Miami Gardens, FL	$82,237	Not available	Baseline needed	$23,238
23	Long Island UniversityMaster's Degree	Brookville, NY	$81,836	Not available	Baseline needed	$33,062
24	California State University, East BayMaster's Degree	Hayward, CA	$81,760	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,320
25	California Lutheran UniversityMaster's Degree	Thousand Oaks, CA	$81,041	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,109
26	Adelphi UniversityMaster's Degree	Garden City, NY	$80,788	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,783
27	Touro UniversityMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$80,111	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,627
28	Manhattanville UniversityMaster's Degree	Purchase, NY	$79,921	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,991
29	University of RedlandsMaster's Degree	Redlands, CA	$79,819	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,031
30	Fordham UniversityMaster's Degree	Bronx, NY	$79,567	Not available	Baseline needed	$44,338
31	Hofstra UniversityMaster's Degree	Hempstead, NY	$79,507	Not available	Baseline needed	$34,176
32	Mount Saint Mary's UniversityMaster's Degree	Los Angeles, CA	$79,053	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,413
33	University of Hawaii at ManoaMaster's Degree	Honolulu, HI	$78,627	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,664
34	Alliant International University-San DiegoMaster's Degree	San Diego, CA	$77,956	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
35	DePaul UniversityMaster's Degree	Chicago, IL	$77,204	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,902
36	Teachers College at Columbia UniversityMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$76,970	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
37	St. Thomas Aquinas CollegeMaster's Degree	Sparkill, NY	$76,928	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,994
38	San Francisco State UniversityMaster's Degree	San Francisco, CA	$76,580	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,278
39	Dominican UniversityMaster's Degree	River Forest, IL	$76,142	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,745
40	Bank Street College of EducationMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$76,086	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
41	Kean UniversityMaster's Degree	Union, NJ	$76,045	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,447
42	University of Maryland-College ParkMaster's Degree	College Park, MD	$75,831	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,678
43	Bloomfield College of Montclair State UniversityMaster's Degree	Bloomfield, NJ	$75,657	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,014
44	Montclair State UniversityMaster's Degree	Montclair, NJ	$75,657	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,566
45	George Washington UniversityMaster's Degree	Washington, DC	$75,292	Not available	Baseline needed	$36,586
46	Loyola University MarylandMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$74,485	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,574
47	New Jersey City UniversityMaster's Degree	Jersey City, NJ	$74,452	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,053
48	University of West GeorgiaMaster's Degree	Carrollton, GA	$74,278	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,786
49	University of Illinois ChicagoMaster's Degree	Chicago, IL	$74,270	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,974
50	University of UtahMaster's Degree	Salt Lake City, UT	$73,872	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,200
51	Molloy UniversityMaster's Degree	Rockville Centre, NY	$73,479	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,347
52	Rowan UniversityMaster's Degree	Glassboro, NJ	$72,243	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,408
53	George Mason UniversityMaster's Degree	Fairfax, VA	$72,192	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,915
54	University of Alaska SoutheastMaster's Degree	Juneau, AK	$72,044	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,357
55	Chapman UniversityMaster's Degree	Orange, CA	$71,762	Not available	Baseline needed	$46,555
56	William Paterson University of New JerseyMaster's Degree	Wayne, NJ	$71,699	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,745
57	Towson UniversityMaster's Degree	Towson, MD	$71,563	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,413
58	Ball State UniversityMaster's Degree	Muncie, IN	$71,550	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,940
59	Boston CollegeMaster's Degree	Chestnut Hill, MA	$71,459	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,704
60	Notre Dame of Maryland UniversityMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$71,297	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,169
61	University of San DiegoMaster's Degree	San Diego, CA	$71,030	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,365
62	Saint Peter's UniversityMaster's Degree	Jersey City, NJ	$70,959	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,199
63	Sam Houston State UniversityMaster's Degree	Huntsville, TX	$70,757	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,404
64	University of Massachusetts-BostonMaster's Degree	Boston, MA	$70,150	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,707
65	St. Joseph's University-New YorkMaster's Degree	Brooklyn, NY	$70,102	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,035
66	Centenary UniversityMaster's Degree	Hackettstown, NJ	$69,602	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,503
67	Ithaca CollegeMaster's Degree	Ithaca, NY	$69,444	Not available	Baseline needed	$33,926
68	University of Washington-Seattle CampusMaster's Degree	Seattle, WA	$69,373	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,091
69	Arcadia UniversityMaster's Degree	Glenside, PA	$69,227	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,466
70	Simmons UniversityMaster's Degree	Boston, MA	$69,110	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,265
71	College of Our Lady of the ElmsMaster's Degree	Chicopee, MA	$68,582	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,545
72	State University of New York at New PaltzMaster's Degree	New Paltz, NY	$68,520	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,809
73	New Mexico State University-Main CampusMaster's Degree	Las Cruces, NM	$68,419	Not available	Baseline needed	$8,889
74	Lesley UniversityMaster's Degree	Cambridge, MA	$68,384	Not available	Baseline needed	$31,152
75	Lincoln UniversityMaster's Degree	Lincoln University, PA	$68,343	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,977
76	Monmouth UniversityMaster's Degree	West Long Branch, NJ	$68,115	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,988
77	American International CollegeMaster's Degree	Springfield, MA	$67,742	Not available	Baseline needed	$23,274
78	University of West FloridaMaster's Degree	Pensacola, FL	$67,666	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,364
79	Bethel UniversityMaster's Degree	Saint Paul, MN	$67,614	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,556
80	Saint Mary's University of MinnesotaMaster's Degree	Winona, MN	$67,553	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,704
81	Portland State UniversityMaster's Degree	Portland, OR	$67,504	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,552
82	Western Michigan UniversityMaster's Degree	Kalamazoo, MI	$67,367	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,273
83	Oakland UniversityMaster's Degree	Rochester Hills, MI	$67,300	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,120
84	Concordia University-ChicagoMaster's Degree	River Forest, IL	$67,237	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,436
85	University of Nevada-Las VegasMaster's Degree	Las Vegas, NV	$66,970	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,359
86	Holy Family UniversityMaster's Degree	Philadelphia, PA	$66,902	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,143
87	Syracuse UniversityMaster's Degree	Syracuse, NY	$66,858	Not available	Baseline needed	$38,793
88	Florida International UniversityMaster's Degree	Miami, FL	$66,851	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,288
89	Eastern Michigan UniversityMaster's Degree	Ypsilanti, MI	$66,839	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,407
90	Mount Saint Mary CollegeMaster's Degree	Newburgh, NY	$66,761	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,522
91	Rutgers University-New BrunswickMaster's Degree	New Brunswick, NJ	$66,728	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,406
92	Northern Arizona UniversityMaster's Degree	Flagstaff, AZ	$66,606	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,158
93	University of St ThomasMaster's Degree	Saint Paul, MN	$66,391	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,155
94	Saint Joseph's University - PhiladelphiaMaster's Degree	Philadelphia, PA	$66,379	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,689
95	Boston UniversityMaster's Degree	Boston, MA	$66,364	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,402
96	Texas Tech UniversityMaster's Degree	Lubbock, TX	$66,336	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,070
97	Rhode Island CollegeMaster's Degree	Providence, RI	$66,310	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,478
98	Wayne State UniversityMaster's Degree	Detroit, MI	$66,099	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,766
99	Piedmont UniversityMaster's Degree	Demorest, GA	$65,919	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,599
100	Southern Connecticut State UniversityMaster's Degree	New Haven, CT	$65,840	Not available	Baseline needed	$20,857

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.