The University of California, San Diego, has become the first major public university to require all undergraduates to take a climate change class for graduation. Other institutions like Arizona State and San Francisco State are following suit with sustainability or climate justice requirements. University leaders argue that understanding climate impacts is essential for every career in a warming world.
In fall 2024, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), rolled out a requirement for all first-year undergraduates to complete a course addressing climate change to earn their degrees. Serving about 35,000 students, UCSD allows fulfillment through over 50 classes across 23 disciplines, such as sustainable development, gender and climate justice, psychology of the climate crisis, and economics of the environment. The policy stems from the belief that climate change affects every job, from health care providers treating heat exposure to café owners navigating drought-impacted coffee prices.
"You can’t avoid climate change," said UCSD urban planning professor Amy Lerner. "You can’t escape it in the private sector. You can’t escape it in the public sector. It’s just everywhere." Students like economics and math major Hannah Jenny, who is taking sustainable development, hope to explore economic growth without planetary harm. "It’s definitely my hope that this is a class that will teach me something new about how to consider humanity’s path forward without destroying this earth," Jenny said.
History major Angelica Pulido enrolled in gender and climate justice out of interest, aiming to connect it to her museum career aspirations. UCSD's requirement mandates courses to be at least 30% focused on climate change and cover at least two areas: scientific aspects, human and social dimensions, project-based learning, or solutions. For instance, Lerner's class, approved after syllabus revisions in July 2024, discusses development's role in emissions amid topics like equity and well-being metrics.
Other colleges are integrating similar education. Arizona State University required a sustainability class starting in 2024, covering human and environmental choices. San Francisco State University began a climate justice requirement this fall for the class of 2029, emphasizing impacts on marginalized communities. Dickinson College implemented sustainability requirements in 2015, and Goucher in 2007. Adjunct professor Bryan Alexander called climate change "the new liberal arts," noting its expansion beyond ecology into diverse fields over the past decade.
UCSD, descended from the 1903 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, faces little pushback due to its climate-focused reputation. However, educators like Jo Tavares of West Los Angeles College stress careful messaging in fossil fuel-dependent areas to avoid alienating communities.