California College Requires “Climate Change” Course In Order To Graduate

UC San Diego is requiring students to take a climate change course to graduate.

Undergraduate students at UC San Diego must now pass a climate change course and complete their other general education requirements to graduate.

UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla shared, “UC San Diego has a long history of leadership in climate research and education, and the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement marks a new path forward,”

“Whether undergraduates are majoring in STEM, the humanities, arts, social sciences or any other field, this requirement will equip them with a strong understanding of climate change and how they can contribute to meaningful solutions,” added Khosla.

UC San Diego students now required to take course on climate change https://t.co/VptQ2UrxiY

— FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) October 14, 2024

This will apply to all undergraduate students who began school this fall, no matter which major. https://t.co/CNAhWUo8jD

— CBS 8 San Diego (@CBS8) October 16, 2024

Per KTLA:

The start of the school year at UC San Diego in late September marked the debut of a first-of-its-kind graduation requirement for students: a course in climate change.

Undergraduate students who entered the school this year, regardless of major, are now subject to the new requirement, joining other general education courses. The classes available to meet the requirement span subject matters from politics to natural disasters and geochemistry.

Called the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement in honor of a beloved Scripps Institution of Oceanography professor, the program seeks to ensure undergraduate students are equipped with an understanding of climate change and what can be done to address it.

It is believed to be the first program of its kind at a major public university in California, according to UCSD officials.

“UC San Diego has a long history of leadership in climate research and education, and the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement marks a new path forward,” UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said in a news release on the program last month.

“Whether undergraduates are majoring in STEM, the humanities, arts, social sciences or any other field, this requirement will equip them with a strong understanding of climate change and how they can contribute to meaningful solutions,” Khosla continued.

Incoming first-year students at UC San Diego have a new graduation requirement: the ability to "understand and address climate change." https://t.co/cfRdahYdbE pic.twitter.com/HwKGDOeoSM

— NBC 7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) October 13, 2024

Per Fox 5 San Diego:

The start of the school year at UC San Diego in late September marked the debut of a first-of-its-kind graduation requirement for students: a course in climate change.

Undergraduate students who entered the school this year, regardless of major, are now subject to the new requirement, joining other general education courses. The classes available to meet the requirement span subject matters from politics to natural disasters and geochemistry.

Called the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement in honor of a beloved Scripps Institution of Oceanography professor, the program seeks to ensure undergraduate students are equipped with an understanding of climate change and what can be done to address it.