🌻 When Education Shifts: What’s Under Consideration for Professional Degrees

Every now and then, something crosses my path that makes me stop, read twice, and say, “Hold on… this could change a lot of people’s lives.”

This proposal from the Department of Education is one of those moments.

There’s talk — real talk — about changing the definition of what counts as a professional degree when it comes to student loans.

But before anybody gets stirred up or anxious, let me start with the most important truth:

**This is NOT final.

It’s under consideration.

Not approved. Not active. Not official.**

But it is something worth paying attention to.

🌿 What’s Being Proposed

The Department of Education released draft language tightening the list of programs that qualify as “professional degrees.”

Their proposed list includes:

Medicine

Dentistry

Pharmacy

Optometry

Veterinary medicine

Law Osteopathic medicine

Podiatry

Chiropractic

Theology

Clinical psychology

And that’s it.

The world we’re living in right now relies heavily on medical professionals, mental-health workers, educators, and essential clinicians. So it raised my eyebrows when I saw what didn’t make the list.

⚠️ Fields That Would Be Excluded

Under this proposal — and again, proposal — a lot of high-demand, high-impact professions would no longer be considered “professional degrees,” including:

Nursing Nurse practitioners

Physician assistants

Physical therapists

Occupational therapists

Speech-language pathologists

Audiologists

Educators

Architects

Accountants

Social workers

Let’s be honest… these are the fields that keep our communities functioning.

This is the everyday workforce that makes life possible.

🏦 Why This Matters

Professional-degree students qualify for higher borrowing limits on federal student loans.

If this proposal goes through:

Nursing and PA students could lose access to those higher limits.

Students in excluded fields may struggle to pay for graduate schooling.

Some might not be able to continue their education at all.

Healthcare shortages — already bad — could get even worse.

Organizations in nursing, speech-language pathology, and healthcare leadership are already pushing back hard.

And rightfully so.

🕊 The Concern Behind the Concern

A lot of fields with high female enrollment — nursing, social work, education — are the ones left out.

When certain professions get grouped together and others don’t, you start to see patterns.

And patterns tell a story.

This isn’t about politics for me.

This is about fairness… access… and making sure people can afford to enter the fields that serve our communities.

📌 Where Things Stand Today

Let me say this clearly:

**Nothing has changed yet.

This is under consideration — not law, not finalized, not active.**

The rule-making process is long.

There’s debate.

There’s negotiation.

There’s pushback.

And many professional organizations are already speaking out.

So for now, stay aware — but don’t panic.

🌻 Final Thoughts

Changes like this remind me why staying informed matters. The world shifts quietly, behind closed doors, in small policy lines that people don’t notice until they’re already living with the consequences.

And I believe in using my voice to shine a little light on things that deserve attention.

If this proposal becomes more serious — I’ll be talking about it.

If it changes — I’ll be talking about it.

If professional organizations succeed in pushing back — you’ll know that too.

Because education shapes futures.

And decisions like this should never be made in silence.

— Lady Flava 🌻