Special Education and Teaching: is this graduate/professional certificate worth it?
National picture across 17 reporting college programs.
Personal baseline needed
$70,411 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.
$70,411Median year-4 earnings
$18,828Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Observed national outcomes
$70,411Median reported earnings · year 4
$64,021Average reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
40thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
17Reporting programs
17With year-4 earnings
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
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $41,141
- Federal debt
- $16,669
- Reporting programs
- 2
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $51,258
- Federal debt
- $26,717
- Reporting programs
- 205
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $67,859
- Federal debt
- $23,274
- Reporting programs
- 9
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $62,770
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 288
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $98,012
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $70,411
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 17
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $79,956
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 5
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$61,980National median$70,41175th percentile$79,249
17 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1CUNY Lehman College$102,3292Johns Hopkins University$96,7113Relay Graduate School of Education$82,7854Northern Arizona University$80,7275American International College$79,2496Olivet Nazarene University$74,7667University of Southern California$72,5598Endicott College$71,7519Kent State University at Kent$70,41110George Mason University$66,463Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
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 | CUNY Lehman CollegeGraduate/Professional Certificate | Bronx, NY | $102,329 | Not available | Baseline needed | $3,148 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Baltimore, MD | $96,711 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,809 |
| 3 | Relay Graduate School of EducationGraduate/Professional Certificate | New York, NY | $82,785 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 4 | Northern Arizona UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Flagstaff, AZ | $80,727 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,158 |
| 5 | American International CollegeGraduate/Professional Certificate | Springfield, MA | $79,249 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,274 |
| 6 | Olivet Nazarene UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Bourbonnais, IL | $74,766 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,729 |
| 7 | University of Southern CaliforniaGraduate/Professional Certificate | Los Angeles, CA | $72,559 | Not available | Baseline needed | $32,740 |
| 8 | Endicott CollegeGraduate/Professional Certificate | Beverly, MA | $71,751 | Not available | Baseline needed | $40,654 |
| 9 | Kent State University at KentGraduate/Professional Certificate | Kent, OH | $70,411 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,787 |
| 10 | George Mason UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Fairfax, VA | $66,463 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,915 |
| 11 | Southern Connecticut State UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | New Haven, CT | $66,321 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,857 |
| 12 | Ball State UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Muncie, IN | $65,194 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,940 |
| 13 | University of Missouri-St LouisGraduate/Professional Certificate | Saint Louis, MO | $61,980 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,071 |
| 14 | Saint Cloud State UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Saint Cloud, MN | $59,443 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,529 |
| 15 | University of North Carolina at CharlotteGraduate/Professional Certificate | Charlotte, NC | $57,946 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,435 |
| 16 | Arkansas State UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Jonesboro, AR | $53,710 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,366 |
| 17 | Appalachian State UniversityGraduate/Professional Certificate | Boone, NC | $47,528 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,836 |
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.