Universities Now Require Climate Education for All Students

Universities across the United States are making climate change education a graduation requirement for all students, regardless of their major. The University of California, San Diego became the first major public university to mandate climate coursework, requiring all undergraduates to complete classes addressing global warming’s science and societal impacts.

UCSD offers over 50 courses across 23 disciplines that fulfill the requirement, from “Psychology of the Climate Crisis” to “Energy Economics.” Students like Hannah Jenny, an economics and math major taking sustainable development, and Angelica Pulido, a history student enrolled in gender and climate justice, represent a new generation learning to integrate environmental considerations into diverse career paths.

University leaders argue this comprehensive approach is essential because climate change will affect every industry and profession. Healthcare workers need to understand heat-related illnesses, psychologists must grasp climate anxiety, and business owners should know how environmental factors impact supply chains and costs. “You can’t avoid climate change,” explains UCSD urban planning professor Amy Lerner. “You can’t escape it in the private sector. You can’t escape it in the public sector.”

Other institutions are following suit with their own requirements. Arizona State University now mandates sustainability courses, while San Francisco State University requires climate justice classes starting this fall. Education experts call climate literacy “the new liberal arts” – essential knowledge for navigating an uncertain environmental future. This trend reflects universities’ recognition that today’s graduates will inherit a world fundamentally shaped by climate change, making environmental literacy as crucial as traditional academic subjects.