RALEIGH — A new report by the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal says most states do not mandate a civics education graduation requirement for college undergraduates.
“Civics education needs to be a higher priority in many states,” said Martin Center Research and Policy Fellow Shannon Watkins, who authored “50-State Comparison: Civics Education.” “Requiring a robust civics education is possible, and doing so will benefit all students — including future teachers.”
Watkins’ report found 13 states require students to take at least one course in civics and that while most states require a civics course for high school graduation, some states are lacking in that area regarding future teacher preparation programs.
The 13 states that have civics as a requirement through legislative or university board policies include Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
The report, which mainly examined teacher preparation programs at flagship universities, showed a significant variation in civics alignment.
NC State was included in the flagship list, and the school does offer a bachelor’s degree in middle grades education with concentrations in English language arts and social studies, which requires coursework in American politics but lacks a requirement for American history in its teacher preparation program.
The report says the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was not analyzed because it does not offer a teacher preparation-related bachelor’s degree in American history or politics.
To address deficiencies in civics education, the report proposes several evidence-based policy recommendations, starting with mandating that all teacher preparation programs require candidates to complete a course in American history and/or politics covering key historical moments and documents, as teachers cannot effectively impart knowledge they lack.
The report also advocates for curriculum enhancement by integrating a mandatory three-credit course on “American Institutions and Ideals” into general education requirements, modeled after the North Carolina General Assembly’s REACH Act, which includes reading foundational texts like the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Federalist Papers essays.
Additional suggestions include implementing a college civics literacy assessment as a graduation prerequisite to evaluate essential civic concepts, as well as including an introduction to the First Amendment as part of freshman orientations.
Other recommendations include organizing annual Constitution Day events to foster appreciation of founding principles and conducting regular institution-wide civic knowledge surveys to identify knowledge and course gaps.
“College is a crucial time to prepare students for responsible citizenship. The knowledge they learn about their country’s history, ideas, and institutions will influence how they conduct themselves in their professional and personal lives,” the report’s conclusion states. “Students need to take civics in high school. But it is also important for college students to study civics at a deeper and more advanced level.”
According to the report, 46 states require students to take a civics course for high school graduation, but four states — Alaska, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin — recommend but do not strictly require it.
To graduate, North Carolina’s high school students are required to take four civic-related courses: Founding Principles of the United States of America and North Carolina: Civic Literacy; Economics and Personal Finance; American History and World History.
Additionally, through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Civic Life and Leadership will be holding “Summer Civics Institutes” for educators and high school students beginning in 2026. The grant will allow for three consecutive summer sessions to be held.
