12/01/2025
Let’s say the quiet part out loud: The care economy is powered by women and people of color—especially Black women, immigrant women, and women of color.
The U.S. Department of Education recently changed how it classifies multiple graduate programs across healthcare and the public sector. Degrees for physician assistants, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, public health professionals, and audiologists are no longer recognized as “professional degrees.”
This reclassification has real consequences: students pursuing these fields now face lower federal loan limits, reduced access to key financial aid, and more barriers to advancement. When systems remove professional recognition, restrict funding pathways, or shrink opportunities for advancement, it continues a long pattern of devaluing our labor, expertise, and leadership.
At Tubman Health, we believe these professions are not “optional” or secondary—they are essential infrastructure for a just society. We will continue to uplift, support, and invest in the care workers and public health leaders who make collective well-being possible.