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Which exact degree titles did the 2025–2026 DOE guidance list as professional degrees?
Executive summary
The Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking and subsequent proposal narrowed which degree programs it will treat as “professional,” identifying roughly a dozen primary areas (and some doctoral programs) as qualifying — the committee said it “recognize[d] only 11 primary programs as well as some doctoral programs as professional degree programs” [1]. Reporting names medicine, law, dentistry, theology and similar fields among the “nearly a dozen” listed by ED; multiple education- and health-sector groups warn the change would exclude many health and public‑service degrees such as nursing, social work, public health, physician assistant and allied‑health programs [2] [1] [3] [4] [5].
1. What the DOE actually outlined: a short list, not thousands
The Education Department’s negotiated-rulemaking work and draft proposal sharply reduced the number of programs it would treat as professional: observers report ED “outlined an exhaustive list of nearly a dozen professional degree areas” and the department/committee acknowledged recognizing “only 11 primary programs as well as some doctoral programs” as professional [2] [1]. Several outlets and advocacy groups describe this as a reduction from roughly 2,000 programs historically cited down to under 600 under the proposal, although that specific headcount appears in social posts rather than primary ED text cited here [5] [1].
2. Which degree areas are explicitly mentioned in coverage
News coverage and summaries repeatedly list core learned‑professions — medicine, law and dentistry — and also name theology among the “nearly a dozen” fields ED put forward as professional [2]. The AAU summary says the final consensus recognized 11 primary programs and some doctoral programs but does not publish the full verbatim 11‑item list in the excerpts provided here [1]. Available reporting therefore confirms medicine, law, dentistry and theology as part of the ED list but does not supply the complete, exact 11‑item roster in these excerpts [2] [1].
3. Programs and professions said to be excluded or at risk
Multiple professional associations and reporters say important health and public‑service degrees would be left out of ED’s narrowed definition: nursing, public health (MPH/DrPH), social work, physician assistant, occupational therapy, audiology and some advanced nursing and allied‑health programs are cited as losing “professional degree” status or being at risk under the proposal [6] [3] [4] [5]. The Council on Social Work Education describes ED’s framework as one that could exclude social work from professional‑degree eligibility because of new criteria tied to licensure, CIP codes, and “a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor’s degree” [4].
4. Why the exact titles matter for loans and policy
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act implementation, ED’s classification directly affects loan caps and eligibility: “only students pursuing a ‘professional’ degree can borrow up to $50,000 annually” under the Repayment Assistance Plan as reported, and the new RAP/loan caps mean the professional designation determines who can access higher annual borrowing limits [6] [7]. That’s why associations warn the narrowed list could reduce access to graduate education in critical workforce fields [1] [3].
5. Disagreement and pushback from stakeholders
ED officials and its press office have defended consistency with historical precedent, while nursing, public‑health and social‑work organizations say the proposal misunderstands workforce needs and will harm training pipelines [8] [6] [3] [4]. The Administration’s spokesperson framed some media accounts as inaccurate, saying the department’s consensus aligns with longstanding definitions, while advocacy groups insist the practical effect is to exclude large swaths of health and service professions from professional‑degree treatment [8] [3].
6. What’s missing from available excerpts — and what to watch next
The sources here do not publish the department’s verbatim, numbered list of the 11 “primary programs” or a complete set of exact degree titles included in ED’s proposal; reporting references “nearly a dozen” and gives examples (medicine, law, dentistry, theology) but does not reproduce the full official roster in the snippets provided [2] [1]. For an authoritative, word‑for‑word list, consult the Department of Education’s negotiated‑rulemaking documents or the final published regulatory text and the full RISE committee materials once posted; current reporting and association releases explain the contours and cite affected fields but do not show the complete exact title list in these excerpts [1] [2] [3].
Bottom line: coverage shows ED pared the set of programs it will treat as “professional” down to about 11 core areas (with some doctoral programs) — explicitly naming medicine, law, dentistry and theology among them — while numerous health and public‑service degrees (nursing, public health, social work, PAs, allied health) are reported as excluded or endangered by the proposal [1] [2] [6] [3] [4]. Available sources do not mention a full verbatim list of the exact degree titles in the 2025–2026 DOE guidance excerpts provided here [1] [2].