• Special education teachers deal primarily with kids that have special needs. These needs can be physical, mental or psychological in nature. Special training is needed in order to help students get the best education possible and comply with federal law. Special education degrees can be obtained at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels, but because of the specialized nature of the training, many schools will require, or will only hire, a candidate who has a master's degree. Degree-requirement mandates can vary from state to state and not all special education programs are created equal.
  
  

Vanderbilt University

• Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee, ranks first among colleges and universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report. The magazine rated colleges and universities offering doctoral degrees using peer reviews, surveys received nationwide from school superintendents, and a number of other criteria which included student standardized test scores, acceptance rate, and the quality of faculty and faculty research. The school offers degrees in the areas of special education that include early childhood education, high and low incidence disabilities and applied behavioral analysis. Vanderbilt boasts one of the best research programs in the world and ample funding for research projects. (http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/Special_Education/Special_Education_(MEd).xml)
  
  Vanderbilt University
  Peabody College of Education and Human Development
  PO Box 327
  Nashville, TN 37203-9418
  (615) 322-8410
  http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu
  
  

University of Kansas

• Ranking second on U.S. News and World Report's list of best special education colleges is the University of Kansas, in Lawrence. Kansas had been in the top spot the previous year and is consistently recognized as one of the best departments in the world. The department is affiliated with several nationally recognized special education research organizations such as the Center for Research on Learning. (http://soe.ku.edu/specialedu-why-choose-us/) The school offers degree concentrations in several broad areas of both low and high-incidence topics and its students are recipients of such awards as the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Anne Rudigier Award for commitment to research and excellence in the area of developmental disabilities.
  
  University of Kansas
  School of Education
  217 Joseph R. Pearson Hall
  Lawrence, KS 66045
  (785) 864-4510
  http://www.soe.ku.edu
  
  

University of Oregon

• The University of Oregon, in Eugene, ranked third among the nation's top special education programs. The university as a whole ranked fourth among all colleges and universities offering doctoral degrees according to U.S. News and World Report. The College of Special Education and Clinical Sciences offers degrees in the following areas of concentration: communication disorders and sciences, early intervention, school psychology and special education. Its research faculty are internationally recognized for their contributions in the areas of assessment and student accountability, literacy and mathematics instruction, prevention and behavioral science, and adolescence and the transition to adult life.
  
  University of Oregon
  College of Education
  1215 University of Oregon
  Eugene, OR 97403-1215
  (541) 346-3201
  http://education.uoregon.edu/path.htm?setpath=19