“To amend the definition of a professional student in the Higher Education Act of 1965.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines professional student and professional degree for purposes of the Federal Direct Loan Program under section 455 of the Higher Education Act of 1965. It removes the cross-reference to the definition previously set forth in 34 C.F.R. 668.2 and instead codifies a statutory definition under which a professional degree means a degree signifying completion of academic requirements for beginning practice in a profession (for which licensure is commonly required) at a level beyond that of a bachelor’s degree. The definition expressly includes the following degrees: Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.); Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); Law (L.L.B. or J.D.); Medicine (M.D.); Optometry (O.D.); Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (D.O.); Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.); Theology/Theological Studies (M.Div. or M.H.L.); Clinical Psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.); Nursing (MSN, DNP, DNAP, or Ph.D.); and any other degree meeting the criteria as determined by the Secretary.