All 430,000 undergraduate students attending Cal State universities will now be required to take an ethnic studies or social justice course .
This new requirement was approved by CSU trustees Wednesday following a fierce debate, KTLA reports.
The new CSU requirement will go into effect in three years (2023), and would be the first change to the school's general education curriculum in over 40 years, the report says. California State University is currently the nation's largest four-year public university system.
The graduation requirement follows a national reckoning over racism and police brutality.
The plan approved by California State University's trustees allows students to choose from a wider array of ethnic studies topics to fulfill the course requirement, allowing students to take courses on social justice that explore issues such as the criminal justice system and public health disparities.
"It's grounded in ethnic studies, but it is broader, more inclusive, gives students choice," California State University Chancellor Timothy White told the Los Angeles Times before voting in favor Wednesday.
Join the conversation! Leave your thoughts and comments below.
PHOTOS: Getty Images