The Department of Education has proposed a new “accountability” system that would judge higher-education programs largely by graduates’ earnings, prompting concern from liberal arts institutions and education advocates who argue that this is a test that music, visual arts, and filmmaking programs would, by their nature, be likely to fail.

The proposed guidelines, known as the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability rule, are intended to provide students with information about the costs and economic prospects of their intended degree programs while, as the name implies, holding those programs accountable for their graduates’ outcomes. The framework would apply across higher education, and programs whose graduates fail to meet its earnings benchmark in two out of three years could lose eligibility for federal student loans.