Presidential candidate Rick Santorum claimed on Monday that most public universities in the University of California system do not offer American history courses.
"I was just reading something last night from the state of California," Santorum said while campaigning in Wisconsin. "And that the California universities -– I think it’s seven or eight of the California system of universities don’t even teach an American history course. It’s not even available to be taught."
That claim is false.
UC spokesperson Brooke Converse pointed out to ThinkProgress that every undergraduate at all 10 UC campuses are required to "study American history and institutions." According to the UC website, each campus decides how its students may meet the requirement.
The only school in the UC system that does not offer American history courses is the San Francisco campus, which is a medical school.
Santorum has repeatedly bashed public colleges during his presidential bid. He caught flak when he called President Obama a "snob" for encouraging students to attend higher education and claimed public universities would "indoctrinate" students to become liberal. Santorum also claimed his grades suffered at Pennsylvania State University because of his beliefs.
Meanwhile, Santorum has aligned himself in support of controversial for-profit colleges during his campaign. He also has served on the advisory board at Christendom College, considered one of the most conservative colleges in the country.