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Were the reclassified degrees at undergraduate or graduate level, and which fields were affected (e.g., law, medicine, education)?
Executive summary
Available reporting in the supplied set does not describe a single, definitive “reclassification” event across higher‑education degrees that specifies whether changes applied at undergraduate or graduate level or which professional fields (law, medicine, education, etc.) were affected; coverage instead shows multiple, context‑specific uses of “reclassification,” such as majors moved into STEM, K–12 graduation-year reclassing, institutional NCAA moves, and regulatory reclassification of hemp products (not academic degrees) [1] [2] [3] [4]. The clearest higher‑education example here: James Madison University (JMU) reported Economics degrees reclassified as STEM, explicitly mentioning B.A. and B.S. programs — undergraduate degree designations — not professional degrees like law or medicine [1].
1. “Reclassification” is not a single phenomenon — different systems, different meanings
The phrase “reclassification” appears in the supplied sources with very different referents: in U.S. K–12 settings it typically means moving a student’s graduation class earlier or later (often tied to athletics) [2]; in NCAA policy it denotes an institution changing divisional status with new objective criteria [3]; in regulatory policy it can mean recategorizing products — e.g., hemp products reclassified as Schedule I if they contain synthetic cannabinoids [4]; and in university administration it can mean changing the classification of an academic major [1]. None of these uses automatically implies a blanket change across undergraduate vs. graduate degree levels or across professional fields [2] [3] [4] [1].
2. Concrete example in the sources: Economics at JMU — undergraduate STEM reclassification
James Madison University reported that Economics degrees were reclassified as STEM, and the article explicitly references B.A. and B.S. degrees — undergraduate programs — and a student hoping to use Optional Practical Training (OPT) benefits tied to that STEM designation [1]. That reporting indicates this instance of reclassification affected undergraduate economics majors’ federal/work‑authorization implications [1]. The source does not describe changes to law, medicine, education, or graduate‑level economics programs in that story [1].
3. What the supplied reporting does not say — gaps you should note
Available sources do not mention any coordinated, systemwide reclassification that moved law degrees, medical degrees, or education degrees from undergraduate to graduate standing or vice versa, nor do they report a single policy that reclassified multiple professional fields simultaneously (not found in current reporting). The JMU piece is narrowly about STEM designation for its economics majors and cannot be extrapolated into a broader claim about law, medicine, or education [1].
4. K–12 and institutional reclassification are distinct from academic‑degree reclassification
The Wikipedia summary explains “reclassification” in K–12 as shifting a student’s graduation cohort year (often for athletic/academic reasons) and does not address university‑level degree taxonomy like undergrad vs. grad degrees [2]. Likewise, the NCAA’s adoption of new reclassification criteria relates to colleges moving NCAA divisions, not to whether particular professional degrees are classified at undergraduate or graduate level [3]. Treating these different meanings as interchangeable risks conflating unrelated processes [2] [3].
5. Regulatory reclassification (example: hemp) is policy‑driven and unrelated to degree levels
One result describes federal hemp language that would reclassify certain hemp‑derived products as Schedule I marijuana if they contain synthetic cannabinoids; this is a regulatory product reclassification with consequences for commerce and criminal law, and it is unrelated to academic degree classifications [4]. Do not conflate regulatory reclassification of goods with academic reclassification of majors or student cohorts [4].
6. How to verify claims about which degrees or levels were reclassified
To determine whether a reclassification applied to undergraduate or graduate levels and which fields were affected, seek primary institutional notices (registrar or college news pages), accreditor or government rule text, or official lists of classified majors (e.g., institutional press releases or federal program designations). The only institutional example in these sources is JMU’s announcement about undergraduate B.A./B.S. economics moving to STEM [1]; for other fields or levels, consult the issuing organisation’s official communications (not found in current reporting).
Conclusion: the supplied material documents multiple, context‑specific reclassification usages but contains only one direct higher‑education example: JMU’s undergraduate Economics (B.A. and B.S.) was reclassified as STEM [1]. For claims about law, medicine, education, or graduate‑level reclassification, available sources do not provide supporting reporting and further primary documents would be required (not found in current reporting).