Special Education and Teaching at Dakota State University

Dakota State's Special Education program leaves graduates trailing their South Dakota peers—earning $42,318 compared to a state median of $46,439. That's roughly $4,000 less annually than what you'd expect from other SD special education programs, placing this in the 40th percentile statewide. Black Hills State graduates, for instance, earn nearly $7,000 more in their first year. For a field where earnings are already modest, this gap matters.

The silver lining is debt: at $31,000, graduates here borrow slightly more than typical for the state ($27,000), but they're still in the 5th percentile nationally—meaning 95% of special education programs nationwide leave students with higher debt loads. That's genuinely impressive and keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio at a manageable 0.73. You're looking at monthly loan payments around $350, which is feasible on a special education teacher's salary, even if that salary is below what neighboring programs deliver.

The fundamental question is whether the lower debt justifies the lower earnings. Over a career, that $4,000 annual gap with the state median compounds significantly. Unless there are specific reasons to choose Dakota State—location, teaching placement networks, or program fit—families should seriously consider whether Black Hills State or USD might deliver better long-term value, even if they require marginally more borrowing upfront.