Best Online Special Education Programs in Nashville, TN (2026)

Nashville, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs. Nashville has a population of about 1,065,078. In the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area, the top-earning special education-related role is Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School at a median $65,170 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Special Education Schools to Nashville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer special education programs near Nashville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Nashville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Nashville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Herzing University-Nashville

Nashville, TN 0.8 miles from Nashville BOC Score 61.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,909
Avg net price $20,537/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus

Nashville, TN 0.8 miles from Nashville BOC Score 39.4
  • 4 year
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,480
Avg net price $27,267/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Fisk University

Nashville, TN 1.1 miles from Nashville BOC Score 21.6
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,454
Avg net price $32,020/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville

Nashville, TN 1.5 miles from Nashville BOC Score 32.0
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,544
Avg net price $24,700/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

American Baptist College

Nashville, TN 1.8 miles from Nashville BOC Score 37.4
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,216
Avg net price $9,216/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,604
Out‑of‑state$13,604
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:Accreditor: Association for Biblical Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN 1.8 miles from Nashville BOC Score 91.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $91,565
Avg net price $15,846/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN 2.4 miles from Nashville BOC Score 34.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,730
Avg net price $15,796/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Tennessee schools on the Tennessee special education page.


Special Education Wages Near Nashville

Nashville is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area (BLS area code 34980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School$65,170Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$67,674
Special Education Teacher, Middle School$61,300Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$63,655
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$61,360Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$63,718
Special Education Teacher, Preschool$63,830Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$66,282

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Nashville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Nashville-Area Cities With Special Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited special education schools are near Nashville, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs near Nashville. The closest is Fisk University in Nashville, TN (1.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Trevecca Nazarene University (8.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying special education roles near Nashville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying special education-related roles near Nashville are: Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School ($65,170), Special Education Teacher, Preschool ($63,830), Special Education Teacher, Secondary School ($61,360). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brentwood instead of Nashville?

Brentwood, TN is 12.4 miles from Nashville and has its own set of local special education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Special Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Nashville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Nashville:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.