CSU students now required to take ethnic studies course to graduate

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill requiring students in the California State University system, including Fresno State, to take an ethnic studies course to graduate.

The bill was signed into law on Monday.

CSU students graduating in the 2024-2025 school year must have taken one course with a special focus on Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and Latin Americans.

The change comes amid the national reckoning over racism sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

It represents the first change to the CSU general education curriculum in over 40 years.