Special Education and Teaching at Purdue University-Main Campus

Purdue's special education program produces graduates who earn nearly $49,000 in their first year—outpacing three-quarters of similar programs nationally. However, the sample size here is small (under 30 graduates), so these numbers may not paint the full picture of typical outcomes.

The debt load of $26,276 sits right at typical levels for this degree, resulting in a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54. Within Indiana, Purdue's graduates trail only IU-Bloomington and Ball State in earnings, placing it solidly in the upper tier of the state's 17 special education programs. The $48,773 starting salary is $3,000 above the state median and $4,600 above the national median—meaningful differences for teachers starting their careers.

The concerning caveat: with fewer than 30 graduates in the data, a couple of exceptional outcomes could be skewing these figures upward. Special education teachers typically see stable but modest salary progression, so that nearly-$49,000 starting point matters more than in careers with steeper earnings curves. If your child is committed to special education and Purdue is affordable, the combination of strong earning potential and the university's solid reputation looks promising. Just recognize that the small cohort size means the next year's data could look notably different.