Special Education Careers
Find out what careers you can achieve with a Special Education degree from MBU, and how you can get there!
Special Education Careers
These are just some of the many careers an Elementary Education BA can prepare you for. Select a career to learn about the job, average salary, employment outlook, required education level, and more.
Education
Clinical Practice
Use the resources below to find more career profiles on these and hundreds of other jobs you could achieve with a Special Education BA.
Career Spotlights
Special Education Teacher
Work with students with a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and/or physical disabilities to teach basic skills and adapted general education subjects.
Education: Bachelor’s degree (and teaching licensure for public school teachers)
Workplaces: Schools, residential facilities, students’ homes
Median Pay: $64,270/year
Job Outlook: -1% (decline)
Instructional Coordinator
Develop, implement, and assess school curricula and teaching standards and working with schools to ensure regulatory compliance.
Education: Master’s degree
Workplaces: Schools, higher education institutions, educational support organizations, government agencies
Median Pay: $74,720/year
Job Outlook: 1% (slower than average)
Social and Community Service Manager
Coordinate and supervise programs, personnel, and resources that support public well-being.
Education: Bachelor’s degree
Workplaces: Nonprofit organization, social service companies, government agencies
Median Pay: $78,240/year
Job Outlook: 6% (faster than average)
MBU Alumni Employers
Our Special Education majors have gone on to build impactful careers with public and private schools, school districts, community services organizations, therapeutic agencies, and non-profits.
- Augusta County
- Public Schools
- Albemarle County Public Schools
- Chesterfield County Public Schools
- Fairfax County Public Schools
- Fauquier County Public Schools,
- Henrico County Public Schools
Loudoun County Public Schools - Newport News Public Schools
- Richmond Public Schools
- Roanoke County Schools
- Brilliant Microschools
- Crossroads Counseling Center
- Elk Hill Farm Inc.
- enCircle
- FACES of Virginia
- Roanoke Valley – Alleghany Region 5 Adult Ed.
- Stride, Inc.
- Sunrise Therapeutic Services
- University Athletic Association Inc.
- University of Virginia Children’s Hospital
Alumni Story: Jordan Ellis, ’13
Jordan Ellis graduated from Mary Baldwin University with a Health Sciences degree, where a capstone project analyzing patient flow in Virginia hospitals sparked a focus on healthcare operations. “That’s when I saw how much systems design affects patient care,” Jordan says.
Now a Clinical Operations Analyst at a Richmond healthcare technology company, Jordan works with hospitals to streamline admissions and improve care coordination, including projects that reduce discharge delays and improve emergency department throughput.
What’s your path?
MBU offers dozens of complementary minors, majors, clubs and more to enhance your study of Health Sciences and put you on the right path to your dream career.
Consider pairing your Elementary Education major with:
- A minor in:
- A double-major in:
Build one of these Skill Stacks to gain an edge in the job market:
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Inclusivity
- Collaboration
- Creativity
Join one of these MBU clubs or professional organizations for connection and networking:
- Sociology Club
- Social Work Club
- Psychology Club
- A Brighter Tomorrow
- Student Government Association
- Baldwin Program Board
- MBU Honor Council
- National Education Association (Virginia Chapter)
- Association of American Educators
- American Education Research Association
- National Association for Multicultural Education
- Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society
Pursue an internship such as:
Consider one of our outstanding MBU graduate programs:
Master of Education
- *Elementary Education PK-6
- *Special Education General Curriculum K-12
- *Special Education, Non-Licensure
- *Gifted Education
- *Reading Education
- *English as Second Language
- *Curriculum and Instruction
- *Leadership Through Authentic Learning
Master of Arts
Master of Science
*We offer accelerated pathways in these programs. Earn two degrees faster!
Consider pairing your Elementary Education major with:
A minor in:
- Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism Studies
- Communication
- Leadership Studies
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
A double-major in:
Build one of these Skill Stacks and gain an edge in the job market:
- Communication
- Data Fluency
- Inclusivity
- Collaboration
- Problem-Solving
Join one of these MBU clubs for connection and networking:
- Sociology Club
- Social Work Club
- Psychology Club
- A Brighter Tomorrow
- Student Government Association
- Baldwin Program Board
- MBU Honor Council
- National Education Association (Virginia Chapter)
- Association of American Educators
- American Education Research Association
- National Association for Multicultural Education
- Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society
Pursue internship such as:
Consider one of our outstanding MBU MEd graduate programs:
Master of Arts
Master of Science
*We offer accelerated pathways in these programs. Earn two degrees faster!
Consider pairing your Elementary Education major with:
A minor in:
- Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism Studies
- Communication
- English
- History
- Leadership Studies
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
A double-major in:
- Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism Studies
- Business
- English
- History
- Public Policy
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Strategic Communications
Build one of these Skill Stacks and gain an edge in the job market:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Inclusivity
- Leadership
- Problem-Solving
Join one of these MBU clubs for connection and networking:
- Sociology Club
- Social Work Club
- Psychology Club
- A Brighter Tomorrow
- Student Government Association
- Baldwin Program Board
- MBU Honor Council
- National Education Association (Virginia Chapter)
- Association of American Educators
- American Education Research Association
- National Association for Multicultural Education
- Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society
Pursue internship such as:
Consider one of our outstanding MBU MEd graduate programs:
Master of Arts
Master of Science
*We offer accelerated pathways in these programs. Earn two degrees faster!
What makes a great
Special Education student?
To be an education student at Mary Baldwin University means learning how to teach with both purpose and compassion. It means growing into an educator who leads with heart, supports diverse learners, and creates a classroom where every student feels valued, understood, and capable of success.Dymond Wright
Planning for Graduate School
Many elementary education majors pursue graduate school to deepen subject knowledge, enhance instructional skills, or further their teaching licensure. The Master of Education degree (MEd) is generally for those who obtain licensure during their undergraduate studies, and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is for those who do not.
These programs offer many concentrations such as teaching, instruction & curriculum, educational leadership, school psychology, and more. Having an idea of what you’d like to do with your degree can help you to pick a graduate program that is relevant and practical.
Some graduate programs in teaching require incoming students to possess state-approved teaching licensure in a particular subject for admission.
As an Special Education major, you can seek licensure during your undergraduate degree by applying to MBU’s Teacher Education Program (TEP) with a 2.5 GPA or better. Upon completion of your degree program and TEP requirements, you’ll be prepared to obtain a teaching license in Elementary Education by Commonwealth of Virginia standards.
Some states may require additional standards to be met in order to obtain licensure.
In addition to application requirements such as transcripts and recommendations, your application may include taking entrance exams such as the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations).
These tests are much like the SAT or ACT, but at the graduate level, covering general knowledge. Students taking these exams often take weeks or months to study the material and take practice tests. Knowing early if one of these exams will be included in your application will give you more time to prepare.
MBU has several education and teaching graduate programs to consider. We also offer an accelerated pathway for the MEd, where students can complete both their BA and Master of Education in 5 years.
*requires a Commonwealth of Virginia teaching license
Master of Arts (MA)
Master of Science (MS)
Master of Education (MEd)
- *Elementary Education PK-6
- *Special Education General Curriculum K-12
- Special Education, Non-Licensure
- *Gifted Education
- *Reading Education
- *English as Second Language
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Leadership Through Authentic Learning
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
- Elementary Education PK-6
- Special Education General Curriculum K-12
- English as Second Language K-12
- Middle Education 6-8
- Secondary Education 6-12
Accelerated Pathway
McCree Center for Career Success
Students are encouraged to meet with advisors from the McCree Center for Career Success to explore, prepare for, and secure meaningful internship and work-based learning opportunities aligned with a special education major.
Through individualized advising and resources like Handshake, students can identify opportunities, connect with employers, and apply for experiences that build their skills and professional networks.
