Incoming students at the University of California, San Diego, will now be required to complete a climate change-related course in order to graduate.
Students at UC San Diego can meet the new climate change obligation by completing a course in which at least 30% of the content is climate-related and which addresses two of four related areas, including human impacts and mitigation strategies.
More than 40 existing courses meet this goal which, the school says, ensures the new requirements are integrated into existing workloads rather than adding extra classes and assignments to students’ schedules.
Students need to be “prepared for what the future might bring,” says Sarah Gille, who is part of the committee that created the new plan at UC San Diego. While educating students about the realities of the climate crisis can be demoralizing, “it can become empowering” if it helps students pursue opportunities in climate-adjacent fields in the future.
A recent global survey revealed that more than 60% of Gen Z are worried about climate change, with a similar number saying that they research companies’ environmental impact and policies before accepting a job.
UC San Diego is one of a growing number of higher education institutions adapting to younger peoples’ shifting priorities by expanding focus on sustainability research and teaching. The University of Arizona, for example, has implemented a similar requirement for its fall 2024 intake, having been the first US institution to open a School of Sustainability in 2006.
