What degrees did the 2025 Education Department memo list as professional versus non-professional?
Executive summary
The Department of Education’s November 2025 memo and related RISE materials set a narrow, regulatory definition that would classify roughly 11 fields as “professional degrees” eligible for higher loan caps and exclude many other graduate programs such as nursing, social work, public health and many education degrees (see ED materials and press reporting) [1] [2] [3]. The department framed this as an internal, loan‑limit classification rather than a judgment about program value; critics and professional associations say the exclusions will limit students’ access to higher federal loan amounts and could shrink certain workforces [4] [3] [5].
1. What the memo actually says: a narrow, regulatory list
The memo circulated during the RISE negotiated‑rulemaking process proposes tightening the federal regulatory definition so that a “professional degree” must meet several specific criteria and be in one of a limited set of fields — the department’s materials identify about 11 degree areas that would meet the new standard — and therefore access the higher OBBBA loan caps [1] [2]. The department’s formulation links the designation to demonstration of practice readiness and a level of skill beyond the bachelor’s degree and applies structural tests such as degree level and program codes [6] [2].
2. Which degrees gained the “professional” label (ED’s list and press summaries)
Reporting on the proposed rule lists medicine, law, dentistry and theology among the nearly dozen fields the Education Department named as meeting the professional‑degree criteria; CNBC, Politico and other summaries say the department’s list totals 11 fields in the draft regulation [7] [2]. The ED fact sheet and press coverage repeatedly emphasize that the list is meant to be an internal distinction for loan caps, not a comment on program quality [4] [2].
3. Which common graduate degrees were excluded from the professional category
Multiple sources and advocacy groups note that the department’s draft excludes several fields commonly treated as “professional” by employers and schools — notably nursing (MSN, DNP), social work (MSW/DSW), public health (MPH, DrPH), many education degrees (including teaching master’s), physician assistant and rehabilitation professions — and that these exclusions have prompted public pushback [8] [3] [5]. Snopes’ reporting catalogues many of the specific program types that the department said it would not count as professional under its narrow interpretation [8].
4. The department’s defense and framing
The Education Department characterizes the definition as an administrative tool to allocate higher loan limits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, not a statement about the importance of excluded programs; the agency also says it is hewing to an existing regulatory definition in 34 C.F.R. §668.2 as of July 4, 2025 [4] [1]. ED maintains that most students in excluded programs borrow below the new annual limits, arguing the change will not affect the majority of borrowers [4].
5. Critics, evidence and potential impacts
Public‑health and nursing organizations warn that excluding degrees such as the MPH or MSN from the “professional” category will make these programs less financially accessible and could weaken workforce pipelines at a moment of rising public‑health threats; ASPPH explicitly called the department’s proposal “short‑sighted and dangerous” for excluding public health [3]. Independent commentators and outlets warn that tighter borrowing caps for programs not designated as professional could reduce enrollment and create shortages in affected professions [9] [5].
6. Where reporting and the memo diverge or leave gaps
Media summaries and the ED memo converge on the characterization that roughly 11 degree fields would be treated as professional [2] [7], but exact, itemized lists differ across reporting and the full internal memos and regulatory text released during RISE provide the authoritative breakdown; full tabulations and final regulatory language will appear in the Federal Register when the department issues a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking [10] [2]. Available sources do not mention a single, universally agreed enumerated list in one public table — rather, the list appears across ED memos and press summaries [1] [2].
7. Bottom line and what to watch next
The November 2025 RISE memo and ED materials narrowly redefine “professional degree” for loan‑cap purposes and name about 11 degree fields that qualify for higher limits while excluding many health‑ and education‑related graduate programs; the department frames this as technical and internal, while professional associations call the exclusions harmful to workforce development [1] [4] [3]. Watch for the formal NPRM and Federal Register publication referenced by ED — that document will contain the concrete list and regulatory text that determines who qualifies [10] [2].