Best Special Education and Teaching colleges in Los Angeles 2026

Cal State LA was established in 1947 and serves about 26,400 students. In the Division of Special Education and Counseling, undergraduate Cal State LA students can earn a BS in Rehabilitation Services or a BA in Urban Learning with an Education Specialist/Special Education credential. The graduate program features an MA with 11 available concentrations and a Ph.D. in Special Education program. Notable alumni include politicians Rosario Marin and Maxine Waters.

ULV is a private institution founded in 1891. Today, the school serves approximately 7,000 students and offers an MA in Teaching with a Mild/Moderate Specialist Preliminary Credential. Ambitious learners can also complete its dual credential option to earn the Special Education credential and its Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Tuition for this program is $775/credit.

Chapman is a private research institution in Orange established in 1861. Special education teaching students can choose from undergraduate programs in Integrated Educational Studies and a five-year combined BA/MA program. Learners in the graduate program can pursue an MA in Special Education.  Undergraduate and graduate tuition at Chapman is $1,810/credit and $1,065/credit, respectively. Alumni include actor Colin Hanks and comedian Leslie Jones.

LMU is a private Jesuit school in Los Angeles. Learners can pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies with an Education Specialist Preliminary Credential. There is also a MA in Special Education with a California Preliminary Mild/Moderate Education Specialist credential. LMU’s School of Education offers excellent internal scholarship opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate degree-seekers. Undergraduate and graduate tuition for the year is about $53,067 and $16,836, respectively.

A public research institution with approximately 46,000 students, UCLA offers a Ph.D. program in Special Education. UCLA offers this program in partnership with California State University-Los Angeles. Incoming students without a master’s degree must take the doctoral screening examination. Degree-seekers must complete a traditional dissertation and pass oral and written defenses to graduate. Tuition and fees for graduate students is about $17,756 (residents) or $32,858 (nonresidents) per year.