Universities Make Climate Education Mandatory for All Students

A growing number of universities are revolutionizing higher education by requiring all students to learn about climate change, regardless of their major. The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has become the first major public university to mandate climate education for every undergraduate, believing that no career field will escape the impacts of global warming.

At UCSD, students like economics major Hannah Jenny and history major Angelica Pulido are taking courses on sustainable development and climate justice – subjects that might seem unrelated to their career goals but are increasingly viewed as essential knowledge. The university offers over 50 climate-related classes across 23 disciplines, from psychology of climate crisis to energy economics, allowing students flexibility in how they meet the requirement.

“You can’t avoid climate change,” explains UCSD 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.” University leaders argue that future healthcare workers need to understand heat-related illnesses, psychologists must grasp climate anxiety, and business owners should know how environmental changes affect supply chains and costs.

Other institutions are following suit with their own approaches. Arizona State University requires sustainability courses, while San Francisco State mandates climate justice classes. This trend reflects a broader shift in higher education, where climate change is being treated as foundational knowledge – much like traditional liberal arts subjects. As one expert puts it, climate change “is the new liberal arts” that prepares students for an uncertain environmental future.