What Can You Do With a Special Education Degree? Jobs (2026)

Key takeaway: A special education degree leads to teaching students with disabilities across four grade bands, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks each separately: secondary school at a median of $74,260, middle school at $66,810, kindergarten and elementary at $65,120, and preschool at $64,830, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Unlike most fields on this site, these are licensed positions. A degree alone does not put you in a public-school classroom; you also need a state-issued teaching license or certification in special education.

Jobs you can get with a special education degree

Special education is unusual in that the occupational categories are the same job at different ages. What changes across them is the content you teach, the level of independence students are working toward, and the nature of the transition planning you do.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians.

Special education teacher, secondary school. At the high school level the work adds transition planning: preparing students for employment, further education, or independent living after graduation, coordinating with vocational programs and outside agencies, and building those goals into the individualized education program. Teachers here also co-teach subject-area classes and manage accommodations across a student’s full schedule, which means coordinating with a lot of other adults.

Special education teacher, middle school. Middle school special educators work with students navigating both academic demands that increase sharply and a social environment that is genuinely hard. The job blends academic intervention, executive function and organizational support, behavior planning, and co-teaching alongside general education colleagues, all while running IEP meetings and keeping documentation current.

Special education teacher, kindergarten and elementary school. In the elementary grades much of the work is foundational: reading and math intervention, communication skills, behavior support, and adapting the general curriculum so students can participate in an inclusive classroom. Teachers may run a resource room, push into general education classrooms, or lead a self-contained class depending on the district’s model.

Special education teacher, preschool. Preschool special educators work with the youngest students identified as needing services, often in early intervention or inclusive pre-K settings. The work is developmental, play-based, and heavily family-facing, since much of the progress depends on what parents and caregivers do at home. Coordination with speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists is constant.

What the degree level changes

Special education is a licensed profession, and being precise about that is more useful than any general statement about degree levels.

To teach special education in a public school you need a state-issued license or certification in special education, and the path to it typically requires four things: a bachelor’s degree, completion of a state-approved educator preparation program, passing your state’s required content and pedagogy examinations, and supervised student teaching or clinical practice completed in person in a real classroom. A bachelor’s in special education from a program designed for licensure covers all of these at once, which is why it is the standard route.

Two warnings that matter if you are considering an online program. First, licensure is state-specific, and a program approved in one state does not automatically qualify you in another. Confirm with your state’s department of education, and with the school’s licensure officer, that the specific program leads to licensure where you intend to teach. Second, the student teaching component is in person regardless of how the coursework is delivered. Reputable online programs arrange placements with partner schools near where you live; ask exactly how that works in your area before you enroll, not after.

There is also a role below the licensure line. Paraprofessionals and instructional aides support special education classrooms without holding a teaching license, and requirements for those positions are set by the district and by federal program rules. It is a common way to work in the field while completing a degree, and it gives you an accurate picture of what the job involves.

Above the bachelor’s, a master’s degree is not required to teach. Some states issue an initial license that requires additional graduate coursework to convert to a professional or permanent license, so check yours. Otherwise a master’s does three things: it moves you up a district salary schedule, which in most public districts is a defined and predictable increase; it qualifies you for specialist roles in areas like autism, behavior analysis, assistive technology, or reading intervention; and it is the usual prerequisite for administrative positions such as special education coordinator or director. Related clinical fields, including speech-language pathology and school psychology, require their own graduate degrees and separate licensure entirely; a special education degree does not qualify you for those.

Common questions

What jobs can you get with a special education degree?

The core roles are special education teacher at the preschool, elementary, middle school, and secondary levels, in resource, inclusion, or self-contained settings. Graduates also work in early intervention programs and, with additional graduate preparation, move into specialist and coordinator roles.

How much do special education majors make?

Among the occupations tied to this degree, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians report $74,260 for secondary school special education teachers, $66,810 at the middle school level, $65,120 for kindergarten and elementary school, and $64,830 for preschool. Public school pay is set by district salary schedules, so your degree level and years of service determine your placement on that scale.

Do you need a master’s in special education?

Not to teach, in most states. Some states require additional graduate coursework to advance from an initial to a professional license, so verify with your state. Otherwise a master’s raises your district salary placement, opens specialist roles, and is typically required for administrative positions.

Do you need a license to teach special education?

Yes, for public school positions. Licensure is issued by your state and generally requires a bachelor’s degree, a state-approved preparation program, passing required exams, and supervised student teaching completed in person. Private schools set their own requirements and may not require state licensure, though many prefer it.

Is a special education degree worth it?

It is worth it if you intend to teach, because the degree is a legal prerequisite for licensure rather than an optional advantage, and the pay follows a published public salary schedule you can look up before enrolling. The is a special education degree worth it page works through that calculation.

Keep exploring

• Start at the online special education degree hub to compare programs and licensure pathways.
• Go deeper on the bachelor’s in special education and review admissions requirements before applying.
• Find programs near you on the special education programs by state index.
• Related fields worth comparing: elementary education, early childhood education, and speech pathology.

Data verified: August 12, 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.

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