What degrees are being reclassified?

The U.S. Department of Education is proposing to reclassify many advanced degrees, particularly in health and education, as standard graduate degrees, removing their "professional" status under new loan rules, affecting fields like nursing, physical therapy, social work, public health, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, physician assistant (PA), education, and accounting, potentially lowering federal loan borrowing limits for students in these areas starting July 2026. The narrower, traditional "professional" list includes medicine, law, dentistry, and others, while the proposed change broadens the standard graduate category.

What degrees will no longer be considered professional degrees?

Under recent U.S. Department of Education proposals related to student loans, degrees in fields like nursing, social work, public health, education, and accounting are no longer automatically classified as "professional degrees" for higher borrowing limits, though the administration clarifies this isn't a value judgment, but a rule change impacting loan access for advanced degrees. Traditionally included fields remain, such as medicine, law, dentistry, and veterinary medicine, but many other critical healthcare and public service careers are being excluded from higher loan caps, sparking controversy. 

What degrees will the Department of Education reclassify?

In late 2025, the Department of Education surprised many by proposing a new rule to change how some degrees are labeled for federal student loans. Instead of classifying degrees like OT, PT, SLP, nursing, counseling, and social work as “professional,” the department wants to reclassify them as “graduate” degrees.

Which degrees have been reclassified?

Some degrees were just reclassified as “non-professional,” and many of them are the fields our healthcare system relies on the most. Nursing, PA, PT, OT, SLP, audiology, social work, public health… all now fall under lower federal loan caps.

What jobs no longer require a degree?

What Is the Highest-Paying Job Without a Degree?

• Commercial Pilots: $121,430.
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers: $94,560.
• First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives: $91,090.
• Power Plant Operators, Distributors, and Dispatchers: $85,950.
• Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers: $84,990.

Nursing programs lose professional degree status, threatening access to federal loans

What job pays $400,000 a year without a degree?

The most prominent "$400,000 job without a college degree" discussed in recent news is a Walmart Supercenter Store Manager, where compensation can reach that level through a combination of increased base pay (around $128k average), significant bonuses (up to 200% of base), and annual stock grants (up to $20k) for top performers, making the role lucrative for those rising from hourly work. Other paths to high income without a degree include skilled trades, tech sales, and specialized roles like power plant operators, often achieved through skills-based training, certificates, or apprenticeships rather than a traditional four-year degree.
 

What majors are declining?

History As a percentage of all bachelor's degrees, history has fallen to some of its lowest points since the 1980s. Foreign Languages and Literatures This field has also seen a considerable drop in the number of degrees awarded since the 1970s and 1980s.

What degrees did Donald Trump have in college?

Donald Trump holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which he received in 1968 after attending Fordham University and transferring. He also attended the New York Military Academy as a teenager before starting university. 

Is nursing no longer a degree?

The U.S. Department of Education has removed nursing from its list of recognized “professional degree” programs, a move that may have implications for students, schools, and the future of the nursing workforce.

What will happen to schools in 2030?

By 2030, schools will likely feature deeply personalized learning powered by AI, hybrid models blending physical and digital, immersive tech like VR/AR, and a stronger focus on future-ready skills (creativity, critical thinking) over rote memorization, transforming teachers into facilitators and creating dynamic, flexible learning spaces that resemble coworking hubs with maker spaces for hands-on projects. The concept of "student" will expand to lifelong learners, with continuous, micro-credentialed education becoming the norm, though challenges like funding and changing demographics will shape implementation. 

Is social work no longer considered a professional degree?

Social workers, as I am sure you might have seen, the Department of Education has changed proposed changes to what degrees qualify as 'professional degrees'. These changes involve eliminating degrees that have been considered professional for decades, including public health, education, and social work.

Which profession got downgraded?

This revised classification effectively excludes a broad range of previously recognized professional fields from the higher loan limits, including accounting, nursing, education, social work, public health, physician assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, speech-language pathology, and counseling ...

What is the least respected degree?

Degrees in drama/theatre, music, fine arts, and religious studies are often recogonized as the least respected degrees due to their lower starting salaries and limited career prospects. However, the term “least respected” is quite subjective, and the real condition can vary depending on the individuals and industries.

What jobs make $3,000 a month without a degree?

You can earn $3,000 a month without a degree in roles like Dental/Medical Assistant (with short training), skilled trades (Electrician, HVAC), Delivery Driver (UPS, FedEx), specialized sales, Real Estate Agent, and some tech roles like AI Trainer or Medical Coder, often requiring certifications, apprenticeships, or a strong work ethic for entry, with remote options available in customer service or data entry if you have strong computer skills, notes www.nysmda.com, Tallo, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/3000-A-Month-Jobs-No-Degree. 

What is considered the easiest degree to get?

The "easiest" degree depends on your strengths, but Liberal Arts, Psychology, Communications, English, and Business Administration are often cited due to fewer demanding STEM courses and more focus on reading, writing, and critical thinking, with options like Education, Criminal Justice, and Sociology also popular for their accessibility. While easy in terms of coursework, career prospects should guide your choice, as some majors offer better job opportunities and higher earning potential. 

Does Joe Biden have a degree?

Yes, Joe Biden went to college; he graduated from the University of Delaware with degrees in history and political science, and then earned his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law. He was a first-generation college student, attending state school for his undergraduate studies before law school. 

Does Obama have a degree?

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and later worked as a community organizer in Chicago.

What is now considered a professional degree?

Currently, 11 main degrees would be considered professional under the draft rule. Those degrees, almost all of which are doctoral, include: medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, law, theology, and clinical psychology.

What majors do people regret the least?

Of those who participated in the 2023 College Major Satisfaction Survey, 13.2% said that if they could choose their major now, they would choose Computer Science, 8.2% would choose Business, 6% Engineering, and 5.2% Nursing and Healthcare.

Where do top 1% send kids to college?

The "top 1%" of students, often defined by family income, tend to go to highly selective, elite universities like Dartmouth, Yale, Penn, Brown, Princeton, and Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, with some Ivy League schools having a higher concentration of these students than the bottom 60% of income earners. Rankings vary, but MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and UC Berkeley consistently appear at the top for overall academic standing, attracting top talent across all income levels. 

What jobs pay $2000 a day?

To earn $2000 daily, you need high-value skills or scalable hustles like specialized freelancing (AI training, high-end writing), sales (physician moonlighting, medical sales), building online assets (e-commerce, digital products, YouTube), or flipping high-value items, moving beyond basic gigs like surveys or simple driving to truly high-earning potential.
 

How much is $100K salary hourly?

If you make $100,000 a year, your hourly salary would be $48.08.

What is a new collar job?

What does “new collar” mean? The term “new collar” is associated with professions where employees develop their technical and soft skills through nontraditional education paths. Employers trying to fill these roles focus on candidates' skill sets rather than formal education degrees.