What criteria does the U.S. Department of Education use to add new professional degrees to accredited lists?

1. Who decides what counts as an accredited professional degree — and how

The Department’s role is to “recognize” accrediting agencies as reliable authorities; it does not itself accredit degrees or programs. Accrediting agencies — regional, national, or programmatic — set standards and accredit programs (including professional degrees) and then report those actions; the Department compiles lists and a database from that information ^{[3] [4]}. The Secretary publishes recognized agencies and their “scope of recognition,” which defines the types of institutions or programs (e.g., programmatic accreditors for law, nursing, etc.) an agency may accredit ^[1].

2. The legal and regulatory framework that governs recognition

Recognition criteria and procedures are set out in Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 602. Those regulations require an agency seeking recognition to demonstrate it is sufficiently rigorous and effective in applying its criteria so it can be deemed a reliable authority about quality ^[1]. The Department’s online materials and Accreditation Handbook elaborate that recognition involves meeting statutory/regulatory criteria and undergoing staff and NACIQI review before a senior official makes the determination ^{[2] [5]}.

3. The practical review process: who examines accrediting agencies and what they check

An accreditor’s petition for recognition is reviewed by the Department’s Accreditation Group (AG) staff and by NACIQI; both make recommendations to a senior Department official who issues the recognition decision ^[2]. The Handbook and related Department pages indicate staff analyses, monitoring reports, decision letters, and documentation of agency actions (accreditations, decisions, substantive changes) are required to demonstrate effective application of standards ^{[5] [2]}.

4. What the Department looks for in an accrediting agency’s scope (and how that affects professional degrees)

The Department lists each agency’s scope of recognition in the Federal Register and within Part 602. Programmatic accreditors have a scope tied to specific educational programs or professions; whether a particular professional degree is “covered” for federal-recognition purposes depends on whether a recognized accreditor includes that program type in its scope ^[1]. Changes in scope (including expansions) are subject to regulation; some final rules have eased certain requirements for scope expansion and administrative capability, which can affect how readily new program types are recognized under an agency’s remit ^[6].

5. How institutions request changes affecting accreditation or program coverage

Institutions that want to change accreditors or seek accreditation for new programs must provide materials demonstrating prior accreditation history and “reasonable cause” for change under the Higher Education Act and Department rules; the Department’s guidance and press materials emphasize documentation is required and that certain adverse circumstances may block approval ^[7]. The Department also publishes guidance and procedural memos to clarify how it accepts or reviews applications for initial recognition of accreditors ^{[8] [7]}.

6. Data, transparency, and limits of the Department’s authority

The Department maintains a Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs based on information reported by recognized accreditors and state agencies; it explicitly does not itself accredit institutions or programs and limits recognition authority to activities within the U.S. ^[4]. Federal law also prohibits the Department from controlling educational curriculum; its recognition power is to determine whether an accreditor is reliable, not to set program curricula or directly certify degrees ^[9].

7. Competing viewpoints and where reporting diverges

Department materials frame recognition as a technical, evidence-based review of accreditor rigor and administrative capacity ^{[2] [5]}. Advocacy and sector analyses (e.g., NASFAA) note recent regulatory changes have loosened certain administrative or qualification requirements — a policy choice that proponents say increases flexibility while critics warn it could lower consistency in accreditor oversight ^[6]. Available sources do not mention specific examples of new professional degrees being directly “added” by the Department itself; rather, program recognition flows from the accreditors’ scopes and the Department’s recognition of those accreditors ^{[1] [4]}.

Limitations: this account uses only Department and related policy/analysis materials in the provided set; operational details about individual program approvals, specific accreditors’ internal criteria, or post-2025 rule changes beyond these documents are not covered in the available reporting ^{[8] [5]}.