As reported on Tuesday, Oct. 15, the University of California San Diego has a new requirement to graduate, as students must now take a climate change course in order to get their degree. This semester, the university implemented the first-of-its-kind mandate for the class of 2028.

UC San Diego officials say that the program is designed to intertwine approved climate courses with general education and “major-specific requirements,” according to a press release on Sept. 26. School officials maintain that it will not increase students’ overall workload.

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There are now more than 40 courses fulfilling the requirement for the 2024-25 academic school year, covering a range of topics including politics, anthropology, visual arts, global health and more.

UC San Diego says it wants students to better understand climate change and its solutions, as well as prepare for its possible impacts on the future job market.

Incoming first-year transfer students are exempt from the requirement. However, the school does encourage them to enroll in a climate change course.

The new rule is called the “Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement,” in honor of the late Jane Teranes, who was a professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and an activist for climate change education at the University of California San Diego.