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Department of education, list of exclusions of professional degrees and student loan caps

Posted on 11/22/25 at 2:52 pm
Posted by LSUTANGERINE
Baton Rouge and Northshore LA
Member since Sep 2006
37684 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 2:52 pm
Professional graduate degree student loans will be capped at 50K per year (200 aggregate). Those not considered professional will be capped at 20K per year (100 aggregate).

Current list in bill as it is proposed.

Degrees Still Considered Professional
quote:

Medicine
Pharmacy
Dentistry
Optometry
Law
Veterinary medicine
Osteopathic medicine
Podiatry
Chiropractic
Theology
Clinical psychology


List of Degrees Not Classed as 'Professional'
quote:


Nursing
Physician assistants
Physical therapists
Audiologists
Architects
Accountants
Educators
Social workers
Speech and language pathologist
Occupational therapists

This also means nurse practitioners are off as well. Also looks like the only therapists that are on would be clinical psychologists. That leaves out licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, etc. ABA therapists out as well.

LINK
This post was edited on 11/22/25 at 3:04 pm
Posted by theronswanson
House built with my hands
Member since Feb 2012
3192 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 2:56 pm to
Chiropractor lobby doing work. Those quack schools shouldn’t get a dime of federal student loans.
Posted by ds_engineer
South Mississippi
Member since Dec 2014
411 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 2:58 pm to
So theology is more of a professional degree that engineering or architecture?
Posted by SeeeeK
some where
Member since Sep 2012
30484 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 3:21 pm to
quote:

nurse practitioners are off as well.


many 10x better than the actual doctors you could see.


Posted by udtiger
Over your left shoulder
Member since Nov 2006
111963 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 3:22 pm to
quote:

Chiropractor lobby doing work. Those quack schools shouldn’t get a dime of federal student loans.


It should be illegal for them to refer to themselves as doctors.
Posted by Privateer 2007
Member since Jan 2020
7654 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 3:26 pm to
quote:

engineering

quote:

professional degree


In no world is engineering or physical science (chemistry, physics etc) a professional degree.

Professional degree implies regulated industry like healthcare or law.

I have a stem grad degree.
In stem you don't pay tuition, you get a stipend for teaching/research.

Its a completely different education protocol.

I think I might agree with you in regards to architecture, not sure how that field works.
Posted by the808bass
The Lou
Member since Oct 2012
124809 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 3:33 pm to
quote:

That leaves out licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, etc. ABA therapists out as well.


What do you think the default rate is on masters degrees for social workers?
Posted by Ace Midnight
Between sanity and madness
Member since Dec 2006
94655 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 3:40 pm to
Theology is the only one that sort of stands out. Seems to have more in common with the lower group.

And, frankly, PAs and NPs are closer to chiro, osteopaths, etc., than they are PT/OT, and the like.

I get that 2- and 4-year RNs, audiologists, etc., are in a different category. I would probably err on the side of architects and accountants being professional, but I also get the education requirements are starkly different for a MD, Dentist, lawyer, etc. and architects or accountants at the ground level.
Posted by SaintsTiger
1,000,000 Posts
Member since Oct 2014
1903 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 3:59 pm to
This is a good start
Posted by Tiger2712
Member since Nov 2018
136 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 4:20 pm to
I think they think the cost will come down if they can’t get it from students through the government loans
Posted by AirbusDawg
Milton, Ga
Member since Jan 2018
2874 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 4:29 pm to
I guess we just won't have doctors in the future? This is so stupid. Med school I guess is just a thing of the past, because most are well north of $50k per year. Glad my daughter graduates very soon.
Posted by shinerfan
Duckworld(Earth-616)
Member since Sep 2009
27868 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 4:31 pm to
quote:

many 10x better than the actual doctors you could see.





This largely depends on whether you're seeking help for injury or illness. If I'm seeking treatment for injury I'm fine with a practitioner. If I need diagnosis I want an MD.
Posted by KemoSabe65
70605
Member since Mar 2018
6248 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 4:39 pm to
Now do gender studies
Posted by Gee Grenouille
Bogalusa
Member since Jul 2018
7486 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 6:51 pm to
So the price will go down magically. Understood.
Posted by UptownJoeBrown
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2024
6516 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 6:57 pm to
quote:

Degrees Still Considered Professional quote: Medicine Pharmacy Dentistry Optometry Law Veterinary medicine Osteopathic medicine Podiatry Chiropractic Theology Clinical psychology


I don’t see any Masters here. I see Law.

Mingo? Care to address why this is?
This post was edited on 11/22/25 at 6:57 pm
Posted by BCBass
Member since Mar 2013
40 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 7:47 pm to
Looking to apply to CRNA school soon. Seems like this will lead to a decrease in mid level healthcare providers that are filling in the gaps of doc shortages.
Posted by onmymedicalgrind
Nunya
Member since Dec 2012
11411 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 7:55 pm to
quote:

Chiropractic

Should have been removed. Total nonsense.
Posted by onmymedicalgrind
Nunya
Member since Dec 2012
11411 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 7:57 pm to
quote:

many 10x better than the actual doctors you could see.

Can we get a full list of occupations where those with 1/10th training and experience with significantly lower standards end up being much better?
Posted by DavidTheGnome
Monroe
Member since Apr 2015
31232 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 8:14 pm to
quote:

So theology is more of a professional degree that engineering or architecture?



And would it be godly to take out more than 100k in loans for a theology degree in the first place?
Posted by Megasaurus
Member since Dec 2017
1316 posts
Posted on 11/22/25 at 9:32 pm to
quote:

many 10x better than the actual doctors you could see.


I would agree with the demeanor/bedside manor/hands on patient care of an NP could be articulated as being "better/superior" to that of some/most MD's, but honestly they are really not comparable. Im sure like everything else, there are exceptions, but they really are not comparable...Do middle of the road MD's have the hands on skillset of a top notch RN who did the NP program, I would say no in most cases, but that is where it stops.

Just my opinion based on having both in my immediate family (both worked in level 1 trauma center @ICU level so not comparing a former CHNO RN/NP to a dermatolgist)
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