Nursing and Other Degrees No Longer Considered ‘Professional’ By Trump Administration

When the President recently declared that America needs to “bring in talent” because the current workforce lacks “certain talents,” he wasn’t just speaking rhetorically. The administration has now operationalized that view, releasing a strict, government-approved definition of what constitutes a “professional degree.”

This list is more than a bureaucratic classification. It is a statement of values and a profound exercise of executive power that will determine who gets to stay in the United States and who gets sent home. It represents a shift from a market-based determination of value to a state-based one, where Washington decides which skills are necessary for the “national interest.”

Which Degrees Made the Cut?

The Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security have issued joint guidance outlining exactly which credentials will now receive priority processing for H-1B visas and other “high-skilled” immigration pathways. The administration argues this will streamline the economy; critics argue it creates a rigid caste system of education.

The administration’s definition of a “Professional Degree” is now strictly limited to the following:

The Official List of Qualifying Professional Degrees:

• Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
• Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.)
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)
• Doctor of Optometry (O.D.)
• Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.)
• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
• Juris Doctor (J.D.)
• Master of Architecture (M.Arch)
• Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning
• Master of Science in Nuclear or Quantum Engineering

Who Is Left Behind?

The exclusivity of the list is its most politically explosive feature. Notable by their absence are degrees in the humanities, social sciences, and even general business administration (MBA) without a specific STEM concentration.

This narrowing of the definition aligns with the administration’s broader skepticism of higher education, particularly programs they view as “woke” or economically inefficient. By legally privileging specific technical and medical fields, the executive branch is using immigration policy to socially engineer the workforce, effectively declaring that an architect is of more value to the republic than a historian or a sociologist.

A Glaring Omission: The Nursing Crisis

The most glaring omission from this new hierarchy is the nursing profession. Despite a chronic national shortage and an aging population, degrees like a Bachelor or Master of Science in Nursing did not make the cut, signaling that the administration views the “front line” of healthcare as less essential for visa priority than the doctors who oversee it. This decision risks exacerbating a public health crisis by closing the door to thousands of qualified professionals that the free market is desperately signaling it needs.

Can the President Pick Winners and Losers in Education?

From a constitutional perspective, this policy rests on the Plenary Power doctrine. Congress has the power to set immigration laws, but it often delegates the specific criteria for visa eligibility to the executive branch. The President is using this delegated authority to define “merit” in a way that suits his economic agenda.

However, this raises questions about the role of the government in the economy. By favoring specific industries—healthcare, law, construction, and advanced tech—the government is putting its thumb on the scale. It is a form of industrial policy that Conservatives once rejected as “picking winners and losers,” but which the “America First” movement has embraced as necessary for national survival.

What Does This Mean for American Universities?

The implications for American higher education are seismic. Universities, which have grown dependent on international students paying full tuition, now face a market where only certain programs offer a viable path to U.S. residency.

This policy creates a powerful incentive for universities to shift resources away from the liberal arts and toward the specific degrees on the President’s list. It is a stark reminder that in a system where the federal government controls the borders and the visas, it also holds the power to reshape the priorities of our nation’s oldest institutions. The definition of a “professional” is no longer just a matter of academic tradition; it is now a matter of federal decree.