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New Liberal Studies Major Expands Paths for Degree Completion and Future Teachers

April 13, 2026

Social Sciences school sign outside UC Merced classroom buildin
A highly customizable degree that rewards curiosity, reaches out to a diverse set of learners and prepares scholars for people-centered careers has arrived at UC Merced. Liberal studies, a bachelor’s program that taps into disciplines in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts,...
Freeing the state from its dependence on fossil fuels means finding the right combination of renewable solutions, as well as efficient, low-cost energy storage.

New Project Shining a Light on Energy Storage

California’s leaders want the state to reach 100 percent clean energy in the future, including being 60 percent powered by renewable energy by 2030 and being free of fossil fuels entirely by...

Some Immune Cells Appear to ‘Know’ the Coronavirus, Even Though They’ve Never Met

Having had the common cold appears to have programmed some people’s immune cells to recognize the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. That discovery — by an immunology team that includes...
UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz (left) meets with Merced College President Chris Vitelli

UC Merced, Merced College Do Their Part to Stem COVID-19 Outbreak

‘From the Valley, For the Valley’: Local Students Start Training at UCSF to Become Physicians for the Region

The San Joaquin Valley has a shortage of doctors, but students such as Kyle Shen (’18) aim to change that by attending a tailored track at UCSF’s medical school specifically designed to...
UC Merced made the Princeton Review's 'Best Colleges' list for the second year in a row.

University Makes Princeton Review ‘Best Colleges’ Guide for Second Year

For the second year in a row, UC Merced is being recognized as one of the top universities in the country, according to the Princeton Review’s “Best 386 Colleges.” Since 1992,...
Equipment in the Costa Rican rainforest measures the soil emissions.

Precipitation and Drainage Fuel Large CO2 ‘Burps’ from Rainforest Soils, Study Finds

It is said that rainforests are the Earth’s lungs, capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, building it into lush vegetation and releasing oxygen and water back into the air. But every...
Professor Emily Moran, left, and graduate student Mengjun Shu examine seedlings in the research greenhouse.

Reforesting After Wildfires: Which Trees Are Most Likely to Thrive?

Wildfire seasons are intensifying because of climate change. That means reforestation efforts will increase, making it important for scientists and resource managers to understand how to make sure...

Ecosystem Engineers Play Crucial Role in Stabilizing Their Environments, Study Shows

When people think of engineering in nature, they tend to think of species such as beavers — the tree-felling, dam-building rodents whose machinations can shape the landscape by creating lakes...

World’s Oldest Trees Shape the Diversity of Life in Their Soils, Study Shows

There’s a whole world of activity beneath your feet. Soil holds a large proportion of Earth's biodiversity, and is the place where organisms interact with each other and with plants,...

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