The Trump administration’s accreditation overhaul is focusing attention on specialized academic programs in fields such as engineering, health care, and veterinary medicine, targeting how programmatic accreditors operate and who influences their standards. The Education Department is trying to limit the influence of trade and professional associations that it says may collude with programmatic accreditors. Negotiated rulemaking sessions this week covered proposed changes spanning 151 pages, with draft regulations aimed not only at institutional accreditors that are gatekeepers for federal student aid, but also at programmatic accreditors that assess specific fields like nursing, physical therapy, and certain mental-health counseling programs. Officials said the concerns include rising costs to colleges and tuition impacts on students, as programmatic standards can shape degree requirements, curriculum expectations, and equipment needs. Jeffrey Andrade, deputy assistant secretary for policy, planning, and innovation, said this is a “complaint we frequently hear.”