New DOE “Professional Degrees” Revealed – All Women Dominated Careers (Plus One Token Male Career) Are Out, Subject To Loan Limits Too Low To Attend

New DOE “Professional Degrees” Revealed – All Women Dominated Careers (Plus One Token Male Career) Are Out, Subject To Loan Limits Too Low To Attend

Editor’s note: It should be understood that all of the careers that have been taken off the list are traditional women’s roles (and they’re dominated by female providers). Only Architects are a male dominated field in the list.  Every Advanced Practice Nursing degree is off the list.  This includes midwives, of whom there is a major shortage nationwide (especially in certain New York Communities), Nurse Practitioners – who can replace conventional doctors in most medical settings with their knowledge and expertise and prescribing capabilities, and many other fields where a nursing degree is the basis.  Physical Therapists, of whom 70% are women, Occupational Therapists (89% are women), Social Workers ( 81% are women), Physician Assistants ( 71 % women), and  Audiologists (86% women). The shortage of nurses made evident by the COVID-19 pandemic have not gone away, and if anything, they have gotten worse.  The complete list of male and female percentages of each profession are below.   There are already now communities without access to quality healthcare, which can include nurses.  This is likely to become worse as fewer students decide to pursue these expensive and personally payable careers (where loans are now unavailable in sufficient amounts to pay for the education and there are fewer options for paying back those loans). 

The limits to loan borrowing amounts (which were previously without limit regardless of profession and were based on financial status rather than ability to pay) were covered in this webinar on the OBBBA’s effects on the affordability of college education.  We have already covered the difficulties faced by Upstate New York’s Mennonite population, whose midwives were – in 2018-2021 – pursued, arrested, charged with felonies, and forced to stop practicing.  This has led to ‘maternity care deserts’ that already existed in these communities to become completely unattended complete wastelands of prenatal care.  Nearly all Mennonite and Amish women choose home birth, with most having a dozen or so children, and without midwifery care, the possibility of infant and maternal mortality increases.  Without the skilled presence of a midwife or other birth professional, the neonates who need a little help starting to breathe after they have been birthed will not get that help.  This is likely to naturally cause death rates to increase, but this community appears to be invisible, with no political, census, or health insurance survey participation, making it impossible to know their status or what they need.  Look out for our upcoming review of the excellent PBS-produced documentary that is aptly titled “Arrest the Midwife!”  It is also important to note that the ACOG – the organization that oversees medicalized birth in the US, recently claimed that homebirth is actually dangerous, based on a few of their own recent studies.  This is contradiction to decades of studies by midwifery and doula groups that showed that homebirth is just as safe, if not safer, than a hospital birth and even a birth center birth. This includes a recent 2024 large-scale study that showed that homebirths are just as safe as a birth center delivery.   In most cases, the presence of medical equipment is not necessary for a healthy and safe birth.  We will be covering this more in the future as well.  

Following is the release and statement from Nurse.org:

Nursing Excluded as ‘Professional’ Degree By Department of Education

What The Reclassification Means

The OBBA caps undergraduate loans and eliminates the GRAD PLUS program for graduate and professional students, while creating a new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). Under the new plan, only students pursuing a “professional” degree can borrow up to $50,000 annually.

To clarify who can access that money as a professional student, the Department of Education categorized the following programs as professional:

• Medicine  (62% men)
• Pharmacy  (45% men)
• Dentistry  (60% men)
• Optometry (49% men)
• Law (59% men)
• Veterinary medicine (37% men)
• Osteopathic medicine (55% men)
• Podiatry (74% men)
• Chiropractic (70% men)
• Theology (100% men)
• Clinical psychology (23% men)

Notably excluded from that list?

Nurse practitioners, along with physician assistants and physical therapists.

Final Decision Comes July 2026

As of right now, there is nothing to do but wait and see if the Department of Education updates its decision to include graduate nursing degrees in the “professional degree” distinction.

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Currently, the new measures are scheduled to be implemented starting July 1, 2026.

What Does This Mean for Nursing Students?

In simple terms, becoming an advanced practice nurse just got harder and more expensive. Graduate nursing students, already burdened with high tuition, will lose financial benefits reserved for professional degree programs. This could deter prospective students, especially those from underrepresented or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Leading nursing organizations also say the move could lower the application and graduation rates of RNs, as all graduate nursing programs first require graduation from an RN program. While some RNs may go into school with the intent of furthering their education, not all do, and many may choose to work at the bedside in the interim or to gain experience.

Without the ability to feel like they have a future in nursing, some prospective students may opt to choose a different career altogether.

Nursing Organizations Speak Out

Nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) are fighting back, arguing that nursing meets all the criteria for a professional discipline—rigorous education, licensure, and, of course, surviving on caffeine during night shifts.

In their official statement, the AACN declares:

“Excluding nursing from the definition of professional degree programs disregards decades of progress toward parity across the health professions and contradicts the Department’s own acknowledgment that professional programs are those leading to licensure and direct practice. AACN recognizes that explicitly including post-baccalaureate nursing education as professional is essential for strengthening the nation’s healthcare workforce, supporting the next generation of nurses, and ultimately supporting the healthcare of patients in communities across the country.”

The ANA also expressed ‘concern’ over the Department of Education’s decision and is urging the administration to reconsider, noting that nurses are the ‘backbone’ of the nation’s health system.

“At a time when healthcare in our country faces a historic nurse shortage and rising demands, limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association in the ANA’s statement:

“In many communities across the country, particularly in rural and underserved areas, advanced practice registered nurses ensure access to essential, high-quality care that would otherwise be unavailable. We urge the Department of Education to recognize nursing as the essential profession it is and ensure access to loan programs that make advanced nursing education possible.”

Could This Make the Nursing Shortage Worse? 

The U.S. is still grappling with pandemic workforce losses, and demand for nurses is skyrocketing. According to 2024 statistics, over 267,000 students are enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs.

These students are the future of healthcare, but if advanced education becomes financially out of reach, what happens next?

“There is no question that this is a gut punch for nursing,” Patricia (Polly) Pittman, a professor of health policy and management and director of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University, told Newsweek, adding:

“Education, including from to ADN to BSN, and then beyond to become an advanced practice nurse, is the single best way to retain nurses, especially in rural and underserved communities. At a symbolic level, it is also deeply insulting to nurses who have fought so hard to be recognized for their critical contributions to health care.”

You can stay tuned for updates from groups like the ANA and AACN. If you’re a student, explore all financial aid options in the meantime, especially if you have plans to advance your career at the post-graduate level.

The Association of Schools & Programs for Public Health released the following:

Department of Education Proposal Excludes Public Health Degrees from “Professional Degree” Definition

Last week, the Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee reached preliminary consensus on a proposed definition of “professional degree programs” under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). We are deeply concerned and profoundly disappointed that the proposal excludes public health programs as well as several other health professions.

This exclusion sends an alarming signal about the understanding of the public health workforce and risks undermining the nation’s ability to prepare practitioners who protect and promote the health of all populations. At a time when threats to public health are escalating, leaving out the very degrees that train our frontline leaders is both short-sighted and dangerous.

The Department of Education is expected to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the coming weeks, which will open a 30-day public comment period. ASPPH will continue to advocate vigorously for the inclusion of public health degrees and will encourage all institutions to send comments as well. We will keep the community updated as developments unfold.

Implications for Schools and Programs of Public Health

The decision last week has significant implications for schools and programs of public health. Excluding the MPH and DrPH from the “professional degree” category could restrict students’ access to higher federal loan limits, making public health education less financially attainable and potentially weakening the future workforce pipeline. The proposal also overlooks decades of precedent recognizing these degrees as professional credentials essential to protecting community health and advancing health equity.

As mentioned, ASPPH will continue to advocate for policies beneficial to academic public health.

Amy McGrath, a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky, wrote in a post on X: “Can someone explain how a theologian is considered more “professional” than a nurse practitioner? As part of the “Big Beautiful Bill” the Department of Education just proposed a reclassification of a “professional degree,” and it means fewer students will qualify for the higher loan limits they need for grad school. Programs being excluded include many fields dominated by women like health care, counseling, and social work. This isn’t a coincidence. This is a way to quietly push women out of professional careers. Limiting who can pursue advanced degrees in critical professions will only deepen the workforce shortages we’re already facing.”

According to Newsweek:

List of Degrees Not Classed as ‘Professional’ by Trump Admin

• Nursing (89% women)
• Physician assistants (71% women)
• Physical therapists (80% women)
• Audiologists (86% women)
• Architects (27% growing to 43% in 2024)
• Accountants (61% women)
• Educators (77% women)
• Social workers (81% women)
• Occupational Therapists (89% women)

Banner Image: Nurse. Image Credit – Patty Brito