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Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement (JTCCER)

 

A knowledge of climate change is required of all candidates for a Bachelor’s degree who are admitted to UC San Diego as a first-time, first-year student in Fall 2024 or thereafter.

 
About the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement

The establishment of this new graduation requirement for incoming first-year students, beginning fall 2024, is designed to empower our students with the knowledge and skills needed to confront the urgent global challenge of climate change. UC San Diego has long been a leader in climate change research. The JTCCER builds upon the faculty’s commitment by expanding educational engagement with climate change across a range of disciplines and responds to the growing demand by undergraduates for climate-related courses and content. 
 
Starting with the first-year student cohort entering in fall 2024, candidates for the Bachelor’s degree will be required to complete a one-quarter course approved by the Academic Senate to fulfill the JTCCER.

 

A few important notes:

  • The JTCCER does not increase the number of courses required for graduation. Many courses approved to satisfy the JTCCER overlap with existing general education or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion courses, as well as courses that apply to major and minor requirements.
  • Incoming transfer students are exempt from completing the JTCCER. We will explore applying the requirement to transfer students in the future.
  • Satisfaction of the JTCCER does not apply to students matriculated prior to Fall 2024. Students not subject to the requirement, but interested in climate change are welcomed and encouraged to enroll in one of these courses but are not required to do so. The list of currently approved courses can be [found here].

See campus announcement for more info: https://adminrecords.ucsd.edu/Notices/2023/2023-11-16-3.html 

 

Current List of JTCCER Approved Courses: 

Please check the UCSD catalog for details on when courses are offered.

For Students - JTCCER Course Offerings Per Quarter (Summer 2025)

Here is the projected list of JTCCER courses for the Summer 2025 Sessions.
Courses are contingent upon enrollment. 

 

Term Course # Course Title Instructor Dept
S125 ANAR153 The Mysterious Maya            Braswell, Geoffrey E.               ANTH
S125 ANTH10 Climate Justice                Pending ANTH
S125 ECON131 Economics of the Environment   Pending ECON
S125 PHYS12 Energy and the Environment     Meyertholen, Andrew D.              PHYS
S125 POLI117R Bending/Curve: Climate Change  Forman, Fonna                       POLI
S125 SIO109R Bending/Curve: Climate Change  Forman, Fonna                       SIO 
S125 SYN1 Communicating/Changing Planet  Pending SYN 
S125 SYN150R Defining Scope/Changing Planet Vega, Adrian                        SYN 
S125 SYN1R Communicating/Changing Planet  Deavenport, James Cary              SYN 
S125 SYN2 Inquiring/Changing Planet      Multiple SYN 
S125 SYN2R Inquiring/Changing Planet      Multiple SYN 
S225 ANAR120 Documenting Climate Change     Pending ANTH
S225 ANTH10 Climate Justice                Pending ANTH
S225 MMW15 The Contemporary Era           Chang, Edmond Yi-Teh                MMW 
S225 POLI117R Bending/Curve: Climate Change  Forman, Fonna                       POLI
S225 SIO109R Bending/Curve: Climate Change  Forman, Fonna                       SIO 
S225 SIO25 Climate Change and Society     Pending SIO 
S225 SYN1 Communicating/Changing Planet  Fish, Gwendolyn Anne                SYN 
S225 SYN2R Inquiring/Changing Planet      Multiple             SYN 
S225 USP2 Urban World System             Lerner, Amy M                       USP 

For Students - JTCCER Course Offerings Per Quarter (Fall 2025)

Here is the projected list of JTCCER courses for the Fall 2025 Quarter.
Courses are contingent upon enrollment. 
 
Course # Course Title Instructor Dept.
ANAR120 Documenting Climate Change     Pending ANTH
ANTH10 Climate Justice                Stewart, Alexander B                ANTH
ASTR65 Astronomy of Climate Change    Trumbo, Samantha Kathleen           ASTR
BIEB174 Ecosystems and Global Change   Multiple BIOL
CGS134 Gender and Climate Justice     Chatti, Deepti                      CGS 
ECON131 Economics of the Environment   Jacobsen, Mark                      ECON
ENVR30 Intro to Environmental Studies Amoa-Bosompem, Michael              ENVR
LTWL165 Literature & the Environment   Kim, Joo Ok                         LIT 
PHIL148 Philosophy and the Environment Callender, Craig Adam               PHIL
PHYS12 Energy and the Environment     Branson, James G                    PHYS
SIO15 Natural Disasters              Laske, Gabi                         SIO 
SIO167 Geoarchaeology                 Dunseth, Zachary Clark              SIO 
SIO20R The Atmosphere                 Russell, Lynn M.                    SIO 
SIO25 Climate Change and Society     Hildebrand, John A                  SIO 
SIO30 The Oceans                     Multiple SIO 
SYN150 Defining Scope/Changing Planet Pending SYN 
SYN150R Defining Scope/Changing Planet Pending SYN 
SYN2 Inquiring/Changing Planet      Pending SYN 
SYN2R Inquiring/Changing Planet      Pending SYN 
USP171 Sustainable Development        Lerner, Amy M                       USP 
USP2 Urban World System             Pezzoli, Keith                      USP 
VIS157 Environmentalism/Arts & Media  Cartwright, Lisa                    VIS 

For Faculty- JTCCER Course Requirement Information

JTCCER Call for Courses

Faculty are encouraged to submit courses for consideration to fulfill the JTCCER requirement. It is essential to discuss how the proposed course is aligned with the mission and goals of the JTCCER Requirement. The course should have substantial contributions from least two of the four following categories: (1) Scientific Underpinnings, (2) Humanistic and Social Dimensions, (3) Climate Solutions, and (4) Project Based learning and about a Climate Change Topic. 

For Faculty interested in creating or submitting a course for JTCCER approval, please visit the Academic Senate website for course submission.