Which specific academic programs or CIP codes were listed as nonprofessional by the Department of Education for 2026?

1. What the provided sources actually cover — practical tools and lists, not a “nonprofessional” designation

The bulk of the returned links are to NCES/IPEDS CIP browsing and search pages that let users look up Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes and program titles ^{[1] [2] [3] [6]}. These are reference tools for institutions and the public to identify program codes; they do not, in the snippets provided, announce Department of Education policy labeling programs “nonprofessional” for 2026 ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. Closely related federal actions that are in the record — DHS STEM lists and DOE Federal Register rulemaking

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) page explains how DHS uses the Department of Education’s CIP taxonomy as the basis for identifying STEM fields eligible for the STEM OPT extension, noting that STEM designation can be at the two-, four- or six-digit CIP level and calling out whole two-digit series such as engineering ^[7], biological sciences ^[8], mathematics ^[9] and physical sciences ^[10] as core areas ^[4]. Separately, a Federal Register notice from the Department of Education published June 28, 2024 lists CIP codes approved for qualifying graduate programs for purposes of the Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment rule and explains the applicability for the 2023–2024 through 2025–2026 award years ^[5]. Neither of these documents—per the available snippets—uses the “nonprofessional” terminology as a formal label applied to CIP codes ^{[4] [5]}.

3. Why the query may have returned sparse or mismatched results

If a reporter or analyst searched the federal CIP resources for “nonprofessional” classifications and got these results, it suggests either: (a) the Department of Education has not published a discrete “nonprofessional” CIP-code list for 2026 in the sources you provided, or (b) that any such designation exists elsewhere (a different Federal Register notice, agency webpage, or a state-level list) that was not returned in these search results. The searchable NCES/IPEDS site is the canonical place to view CIP code titles and taxonomy, but it’s a lookup tool rather than a policy notice ^{[1] [3]}.

4. What to check next — where a definitive answer would appear

To establish whether the Department of Education formally labeled specific programs or CIP codes “nonprofessional” for 2026, check (and cite) these possible primary sources not present in your results: ^[11] the Federal Register for any Department of Education notices in 2024–2026 using the term “nonprofessional” tied to CIP codes; ^[12] a Department of Education policy page or press release; or ^[13] NCES/IPEDS updates or footnotes accompanying the 2026 CIP taxonomy that might explain categories beyond standard CIP titles (available sources do not mention a DOE “nonprofessional” list) ^{[1] [3] [5]}.

5. Two plausible alternative interpretations, based on available material

One plausible explanation is that “nonprofessional” is an informal descriptor used by some institutions, states, or commentators (not the Department) to contrast career/technical or professional program designations with academic or liberal-arts programs; that would reside in institutional catalogs or state lists (examples in the results include university CIP lists and state education pages) ^{[14] [15] [16]}. Another possibility is confusion with other DOE actions that single out CIP codes for regulatory treatment (for example, the list used in the Gainful Employment/Financial Value Transparency rule), which is a list of “approved” or “qualifying” CIP codes for specific calculations—not a “nonprofessional” blacklist—and that Federal Register notice explicitly governs 2023–2026 award years ^[5].

6. Bottom line and recommended next steps

Based on the documents in your search results, there is no documented Department of Education list of “nonprofessional” CIP codes for 2026 in the material provided (not found in current reporting). For a definitive answer, obtain and review: the full Federal Register docket for 2024–2026 DOE notices, any Department of Education webpages that use the term “nonprofessional,” and institution- or state-level catalogs that may use the phrase informally ^{[5] [1] [3]}. If you want, I can search specifically inside the Federal Register and NCES/IPEDS content for any occurrence of the word “nonprofessional” or pull the DOE Federal Register notices that modify CIP-related policy.