Pennsylvania·Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-2059

Best Special Education Teacher, All Other programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment

All special education teachers not listed.

54 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,353 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,530 in Pennsylvania across about 450 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledAdapted Physical EducatorAdapted Physical Education Specialist (APE Specialist)Adapted Physical Education Teacher (Adapted PE Teacher)DAPE Specialist (Developmental Adapted Physical Education Specialist)Autism TutorAutism Motor SpecialistAdaptive Skills EducatorSpecial Education Teacher
Graduates / yr
1,353
in Pennsylvania
Median pay · Pennsylvania
$76,530
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
450
people employed
Schools
54
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
62%
across those schools
Median net price
$24,867
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

7 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Pennsylvania page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
11,206
89.1%
53$44,139$26,675
260
4.4%
6$44,139$26,675
350
3.7%
8$44,139$26,675
422
1.6%
1$44,139$26,675
511
0.8%
3$44,139$26,675
63
0.2%
1$44,139$26,675
71
0.1%
1$44,139$26,675

Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 15 of the 54 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
196Special Education and Teaching, General$43,48066%71%
2Pennsylvania Western University
California, PA Public · 3 feeder programs
98Special Education and Teaching, General$40,01252%94%
3West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, PA Public · 3 feeder programs
94Special Education and Teaching, General71%78%
4Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
84Special Education and Teaching, General$50,15954%93%
5Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
71Special Education and Teaching, General61%$12,16371%
6Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
66Special Education and Teaching, General$50,69879%$34,41889%
7Arcadia University
Glenside, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
64Special Education and Teaching, General67%$23,79680%
8Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Millersville, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
54Special Education and Teaching, General$51,66458%86%
9Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
53Special Education and Teaching, General$50,64554%91%
10Wilson College
Chambersburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
51Special Education and Teaching, General48%$18,58692%
11Pennsylvania State University - World Campus
University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
48Special Education and Teaching, General$71,29334%91%
12Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus
University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
34Special Education and Teaching, General$71,29386%61%
13University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
33Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness85%58%
14Neumann University
Aston, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
31Special Education and Teaching, Other$42,48854%$28,75381%
15East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
29Special Education and Teaching, General$50,32743%92%
16Temple University
Philadelphia, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
28Special Education and Teaching, General75%80%
17Eastern University
Saint Davids, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Special Education and Teaching, General54%$25,14691%
18Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Special Education and Teaching, General88%$26,91226%
19King's College
Wilkes-Barre, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Special Education and Teaching, General60%$22,13193%
20DeSales University
Center Valley, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Special Education and Teaching, General72%$26,99077%
21Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Special Education and Teaching, General57%$25,84390%
22Lincoln University
Lincoln University, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
17Special Education and Teaching, Other44%66%
23Grove City College
Grove City, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Special Education and Teaching, General83%72%
24Gannon University
Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Special Education and Teaching, General66%$21,40974%
25Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
13Special Education and Teaching, General78%$36,00479%

All 54 schools in Pennsylvania

Every school in Pennsylvania with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Pennsylvania that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery RockPublic1961
Pennsylvania Western UniversityCaliforniaPublic983
West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest ChesterPublic943
Commonwealth University of PennsylvaniaBloomsburgPublic841
Holy Family UniversityPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit711
Saint Joseph's University - PhiladelphiaPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit664
Arcadia UniversityGlensidePrivate not-for-profit643
Millersville University of PennsylvaniaMillersvillePublic541
Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaKutztownPublic531
Wilson CollegeChambersburgPrivate not-for-profit511
Pennsylvania State University - World CampusUniversity ParkPublic482
Pennsylvania State University - Main CampusUniversity ParkPublic341
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburghPublic332
Neumann UniversityAstonPrivate not-for-profit312
East Stroudsburg University of PennsylvaniaEast StroudsburgPublic291

What special education teachers, all other earn in Pennsylvania

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Pennsylvania
$76,530
Mean annual
$74,940
Jobs in state
450
What the range looks like
10th pct$46,990Median$76,53090th pct$99,500
Versus the national median
-0.1%

U.S. median $76,580. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.34×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$73,390median
330 jobs
Pittsburgh, PA
$62,270median
70 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.1%
Little or no change
Openings per year
2,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
400
41,000 → 41,500
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Special Education Teachers, All Other page.

How to become a Special Education Teacher, All Other

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

Active ListeningActive LearningSpeakingMonitoringReading ComprehensionWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Pennsylvania

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 13 majors mapped to Special Education Teachers, All Other13 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.1001Special Education and Teaching, General
  • 13.1003Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness
  • 13.1005Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances
  • 13.1006Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
  • 13.1007Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities
  • 13.1008Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic and Other Physical Health Impairments
  • 13.1009Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness
  • 13.1011Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities
  • 13.1012Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments
  • 13.1013Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism
  • 13.1014Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed
  • 13.1016Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries
  • 13.1099Special Education and Teaching, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing special education teachers, all other programs in Pennsylvania.

What degree do you need to become a Special Education Teacher, All Other?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Special Education and Teaching, General, which awarded 1,206 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 89.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Special Education Teacher, All Other?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Special Education and Teaching. Together they graduate about 1,353 people a year in Pennsylvania.

How much do special education teachers, all other earn in Pennsylvania?+

The median is $76,530 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.1% below the U.S. median of $76,580. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for special education teachers, all other growing?+

BLS projects a +1.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 2,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Pennsylvania?+

54 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do special education teachers, all other work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Adapted Physical Educator, Adapted Physical Education Specialist (APE Specialist), Adapted Physical Education Teacher (Adapted PE Teacher), DAPE Specialist (Developmental Adapted Physical Education Specialist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-2059.

Special Education Teachers, All Other in other statesArizonaIndianaNew YorkUtahCaliforniaTexasFloridaMassachusetts

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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