Best Associate's in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Programs in 2026
All 4 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on graduation rate, affordability, and more. CIP 13.1003.
- In-state tuition typically runs from $1,987 to $5,340 a year, with a median near $2,904.
- 4 of 4 ranked programs sit at public universities.
- We rank on graduation rate first, then selectivity and affordability, all from federal IPEDS data.
- 1
Miami Dade College
100score- 46%Grad rate
- $1,987/yrIn-state tuition
- $7,947/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 58,941Undergrads
- 9Grads/yr
- Associate in Science in ASL-English Interpreting
About the programMiami Dade College offers an Associate in Science in ASL-English Interpreting, the program mapped to this deaf and hard-of-hearing CIP code. Students build American Sign Language proficiency through sequenced ASL coursework and the program culminates in an internship experience. It is designed to prepare graduates for entry-level sign language interpreting work and to transfer into a bachelor's degree in ASL-English Interpreting toward national interpreting certification. It is not a teacher licensure program and does not certify a teaching grade band. As an associate degree in deaf and hard of hearing education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as special education teachers in Florida.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageThree things decide where a program lands on this list: how many students finish, how selective it is, and what it costs. Start with the outcome that matters most, 46% of students graduate, top 1% among programs nationwide, which is the biggest reason it sits where it does. Cost only helps its case: at $1,987 in state, tuition runs below the national median, so students are not paying a premium for those results. Strong on the measures that matter most, it earns a place near the top.
- 2
Florida State College at Jacksonville
67score- 37%Grad rate
- $2,095/yrIn-state tuition
- $7,947/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 23,556Undergrads
- 2Grads/yr
- ASL/English Interpreting (A.S.)
- On-campus
About the programFlorida State College at Jacksonville offers an Associate in Science in ASL and English Interpreting, an on-campus program in its Education and Human Services area of study. The curriculum builds foundational knowledge of interpretation and develops interpreting skill through American Sign Language and sign language interpretation courses, supported by an internship, simulated experiences, and community-based learning. It prepares students for pre-certified interpreter status and for entry into a bachelor's-level ASL and English interpretation program. This is a transfer and workforce pathway rather than a teaching-licensure program. Earning an associate degree in deaf and hard of hearing education is a common route toward becoming one of Florida's special education teachers.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageThe ranking rewards programs that graduate their students, stay at least somewhat selective, and keep tuition reasonable, so here is how this one measures up. Its strongest card is completion: a 37% graduation rate lands it in the top 33% of programs nationwide, and since finishing counts for the most, that does much of the work. Cost only helps its case: at $2,095 in state, tuition runs below the national median, so students are not paying a premium for those results. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.
- 3
Oakland Community College
18score- 21%Grad rate
- $5,340/yrTuition (in or out of state)
- 15,287Undergrads
- 12Grads/yr
- Sign Language Interpreter
- On-campus
About the programOakland Community College's Sign Language Interpreter Associate in Applied Science trains people to bridge ASL and English, so it prepares interpreters rather than classroom teachers. Offered on campus through Human Services at the Orchard Ridge Campus, the 62 to 65 credit program grounds students in the Deaf community, its culture, and its history alongside the practical craft of interpretation. Courses like Orientation to Deafness and Deaf Culture and History build that cultural fluency before students put it to work. A required internship in ASL-English interpreting gives them supervised field experience, and they must hold a C+ or better in every interpreting course to keep advancing. This is a professional interpreter credential, so it is a career pathway in its own right rather than a teaching-license track. Graduates of this deaf and hard of hearing education program at the associate level often go on to work as special education teachers.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageIts place on the list comes down to outcomes, selectivity, and price, weighted in that order. On completion, the heaviest factor, it lands mid-pack among programs nationwide at 21%, solid without being a standout. The one drag is price, $5,340 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.
- 4
College of Southern Nevada
15score- 19%Grad rate
- $3,713/yrIn-state tuition
- $12,379/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 28,313Undergrads
- 9Grads/yr
- Deaf Studies
- On-campus
About the programCollege of Southern Nevada offers an Associate of Applied Science in Deaf Studies through the Department of World Languages in the School of Arts and Letters, on its Las Vegas campus. The program covers American Sign Language along with Deaf culture, history, and linguistics. It serves as a general pathway that prepares students to continue in fields such as education, counseling, and social work rather than as a dedicated deaf-education teacher preparation track. This associate-level deaf and hard of hearing education program prepares graduates for work as special education teachers in Nevada.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageWe rank on the things that actually shape a teaching degree: whether students finish, how hard it is to get in, and the price of admission. The sticking point is completion, the factor we weigh most heavily: at 19% the graduation rate trails the national median, which caps how high it can climb. The one drag is price, $3,713 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. That combination is what puts it in the top handful here.
How we rank
Each program is scored 0 to 100 against the other associate's programs in its specialty: graduation rate (55%) and affordability by in-state tuition (45%). Scores are percentile-based within the specialty, so they compare like with like, and a program missing a field gets the neutral median. Because an associate's in elementary education is a two-year transfer degree offered almost entirely by open-admission community colleges, selectivity is not used. Earnings are excluded because they depend on transferring and finishing a bachelor's degree. Every associate's program in the specialty is ranked and shown, with no per-state cap.
- Graduation rate: 55%
- Affordability (in-state tuition): 45%
What careers can you get with an associate's in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education?
Graduates most often go on to work as special education teachers. Nationally, the median wage for that occupation is $76,580, with most earning between $48,440 and $120,080, and roughly 33,930 people employed across the United States, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Sources: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (SOC 25-2059), and BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Wages are national and not school-specific.
Special Education Teachers Salary by State in 2026
Median annual wage for special education teachers, by state. Highest is California at $103,050, lowest is West Virginia at $39,920.
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| California | $103,050 |
| New Mexico | $86,520 |
| Delaware | $85,040 |
| Oregon | $82,240 |
| Rhode Island | $80,080 |
| Colorado | $79,290 |
| Michigan | $78,540 |
| Massachusetts | $78,440 |
| Virginia | $77,280 |
| Washington | $76,790 |
| Pennsylvania | $76,530 |
| Georgia | $76,130 |
| Maryland | $76,100 |
| District of Columbia | $71,130 |
| New Jersey | $71,110 |
| Iowa | $71,050 |
| Minnesota | $69,470 |
| Florida | $68,690 |
| Utah | $67,860 |
| Wisconsin | $66,910 |
| New Hampshire | $66,670 |
| New York | $65,970 |
| Texas | $65,710 |
| North Carolina | $65,170 |
| Illinois | $64,850 |
| Nevada | $64,410 |
| Tennessee | $63,300 |
| Kentucky | $63,140 |
| Arkansas | $61,690 |
| North Dakota | $61,500 |
| Connecticut | $61,480 |
| Louisiana | $61,170 |
| Indiana | $60,920 |
| Nebraska | $59,760 |
| Arizona | $59,500 |
| Maine | $56,780 |
| Puerto Rico | $51,920 |
| Ohio | $51,230 |
| Missouri | $49,610 |
| Alabama | $49,520 |
| Vermont | $46,980 |
| Mississippi | $46,700 |
| West Virginia | $39,920 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
How much an associate's in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education program costs
Published in-state tuition across the 4 ranked associate's programs typically runs from $1,987 to $5,340 a year, with a median near $2,904. Most of that spread is public versus private: public universities charge state residents the least, while private colleges set a single sticker price that applies to everyone. 4 of the 4 programs here are public, which is usually where the lowest in-state numbers come from.
Sticker price is rarely what a student pays. Grants and scholarships lower the net cost, and future teachers have aid written specifically for them: the federal TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who agree to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and many states add service scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for people who commit to the classroom. Two costs to watch are out-of-state tuition, which at public schools often runs two to three times the resident rate, and mandatory fees and living expenses, which the tuition figure leaves out entirely.
What none of this changes is the paycheck at the end. The median wage for special education teachers is $76,580 regardless of where the degree was earned, so two graduates can reach the same salary having paid very different tuition to get there. That is exactly why affordability, essentially graduation rate per tuition dollar, is one of the factors we weight rather than an afterthought.
Sources: tuition and program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant from Federal Student Aid; wages from BLS OEWS.
Ways to earn your associate's in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education
An associate's in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education is usually the first two years of a longer teaching path rather than a destination in itself. Most are delivered on campus, since even early coursework often includes in-person classroom observation. Many are designed explicitly as a transfer, or pre-education, track that maps onto a four-year degree.
The move that saves the most money is articulation: completing general-education and introductory teaching coursework at a community college, then transferring those credits into a bachelor's program to finish the degree and student teaching. Statewide transfer agreements in many states guarantee that an approved associate's applies in full, so it pays to choose a program with a clear articulation pathway to the university you eventually want to attend.
An associate's on its own does not lead to a standard teaching license, which is the norm for this level rather than a shortcoming. What it does do is open the door to classroom roles now, paraprofessional and teacher-aide positions, and in some states a step toward early-childhood or substitute credentials while you keep studying toward the bachelor's.
Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS; alternative-certification pathways per the US Department of Education.
Data sources for our Associate's in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education ranking
- Program counts, tuition, graduation and admission rates: IPEDS, US Department of Education.
- Wages and employment outlook: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.