Online Special Education Schools and Colleges

Special Education Online Colleges

To be licensed as a special education teacher usually requires a bachelor's degree in education or a related field and completion of a teacher training program, according to the BLS. Some states require a master's degree to become a special education teacher. While in-classroom training is an important component of education degree programs, it's possible to complete online special education programs. For example, an online Bachelor's of Arts in Special Education program might feature classes in subjects like psychoeducational assessment practices and teaching practices in reading and math, and also facilitate and require supervised teaching done in area schools. An online Mater's of Arts in Education/Special Education can help students learn about the diagnosis and assessment of disability, student-behavior management, and more. Some degree programs prepare teachers to work with students who have a particular kind of disability, while others are broader and prepare teachers to work with a variety of disability types encountered in K-12 classrooms. In terms of related careers, the U.S. Department of Labor reports 97 percent of school counselors hold a master's degree, while 78 percent of school psychologists hold an Educational Specialist or other master's degree and 19 percent have a doctorate degree.

Job prospects are likely to be excellent for graduates of special education degree programs. The BLS anticipates 17 percent growth in the field, 2008-2018, with a 38 percent increase in special education jobs in health care and social assistance organizations, a 25 percent increase for jobs in public and private hospitals and a 20 percent increase for jobs in elementary schools. Special education teachers in elementary schools and secondary schools earned mean annual wages of $55,650, according to 2010 BLS data, while those employed by educational support services earned mean annual wages of $51,100 and individual and family services, $46,660. School counselors and psychologists, who often also collaborate with teachers to create individualized education plans, or IEPs, for special education students, earned mean annual wages of $62,310 and $71,070, respectively.

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