You’re assuming the student looked at the catalog b4 committing - and many schools have variety.
The student chose, per the OP, UCLA because it’s high ranked.
So I’m guessing they’re not thinking to this level.
Even small schools have wide offerings - this from College of Charleston.
Perhaps OP should look at not just catalogues but schedules (to make sure things of interest are offered) but most kids are choosing a school when it comes to history and not necessarily the quality of the major at the school. Hence, going to UCLA for rank/pedigree - may have a great history department, but it was secondary to why they went (at least according to OP).
- HIST 230 Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (3)
- HIST 231 Ancient Greece (3)
- HIST 232 Ancient Rome (3)
- HIST 234 Early Middle Ages (3)
- HIST 235 High Middle Ages (3)
- HIST 248 Witch-Hunts in Early Modern Europe (3)
- HIST 257 Tudor-Stuart Britain (3)
- HIST 270 Special Topics in Pre-Modern History (3)
- HIST 272 Pre-Colonial Africa (3)
- HIST 276 Islamic Civilization (3)
- HIST 282 History of China to 1800 (3)
- HIST 286 History of Japan to 1800 (3)
- HIST 335 Crusades (3)
- HIST 336 Italian Renaissance (3)
- HIST 370 Special Topics in Pre-modern History (3)
- HIST 470 Research Seminar in Premodern History (3)
2. Modern Europe Since 1500
Complete one of the following:
- HIST 241 Special Topics in Modern European History (3)
- HIST 242 History of Modern France (3)
- HIST 244 History of Germany 1866 to Present (3)
- HIST 247 Empire, Nation, Class in Eastern Europe (3)
- HIST 252 Women in Europe (3)
- HIST 256 History of Science and Technology (3)
- HIST 337 Age of Reformation (3)
- HIST 341 Age of Enlightenment and Revolution (3)
- HIST 343 Europe Since 1939 (3)
- HIST 344 Modern European Cultural History (3)
- HIST 345 Modern German Cultural and Intellectual History (3)
- HIST 346 History of the Soviet Union (3)
- HIST 347 Special Topics in Modern European History (3)
- HIST 348 Everyday Communism (3)
- HIST 357 Victorian Britain (3)
- HIST 441 Research Seminar in Modern European History (3)
3. Modern Asia, Africa and Latin America
Complete one of the following:
- HIST 261 Special Topics: Modern Asia, Africa, or Latin America (3)
- HIST 262 Colonial Latin America (3)
- HIST 263 Latin America since Independence (3)
- HIST 273 Modern Africa (3)
- HIST 277 Modern Middle East (3)
- HIST 283 History of Modern China (3)
- HIST 287 History of Modern Japan (3)
- HIST 361 Special Topics in Modern Asia, Africa, or Latin America (3)
- HIST 364 Sugar and Slaves in Colonial Brazil (3)
- HIST 365 Modern Brazil (3)
- HIST 461 Research Seminar in Modern Asia, Africa, Latin America (3)
4. United States
Complete one of the following:
- AAST 340 Race, Violence, and Memory in American History (3)
- HIST 201 United States to 1865 (3)
- HIST 202 United States since 1865 (3)
- HIST 210 Special Topics in U.S. History (3)
- HIST 211 American Urban History (3)
- HIST 212 American Labor History (3)
- HIST 213 American Jewish History: Colonial Times to the Present (3)
- HIST 214 American Ethnic History: 1607 to the Present (3)
- HIST 215 Native American History (3)
- HIST 216 African American History to 1865 (3)
- HIST 217 African American History since 1865 (3)
- HIST 218 The American West (3)
- HIST 219 Native Americans in Film (3)
- HIST 221 Women in the United States (3)
- HIST 222 History of South Carolina (3)
- HIST 224 History of South to 1865 (3)
- HIST 225 History of South since 1865 (3)
- HIST 226 American Monsters: The History of American Horror Narratives (3)
- HIST 228 History of American Sexualities, 1600-2000 (3)
- HIST 229 History of Queer America, 1600-2000 (3)
- HIST 301 Colonial America, 1585-1763 (3)
- HIST 302 Era of the American Revolution, 1763-1800 (3)
- HIST 304 History of the United States: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1845-1877 (3)
- HIST 307 History of the United States: Cold War America, 1945 - Present (3)
- HIST 310 Special Topics in U.S. History (3)
- HIST 312 Diplomatic History of the United States since 1898 (3)
- HIST 320 Special Topics in Lowcountry History (3)
- HIST 321 Race, Violence, and Memory in American History (3)
- HIST 323 Society and Culture of Early Charleston (3)
- HIST 410 Research Seminar in U.S. History (3)
- HIST 420 Research Seminar in Lowcountry History (3)
- JWST 260 American Jewish History: Colonial Times to the Present (3)
- WGST 228 History of American Sexualities, 1600-2000 (3)
- WGST 229 History of Queer America, 1600-2000 (3)
5. Comparative/Transnational
Complete one of the following:
- HIST 249 Witchcraft and Witch-Hunting in the Modern World (3)
- HIST 250 Special Topics in Comparative/Transnational History (3)
- HIST 251 The Modern City (3)
- HIST 253 Special Topics in the History of War and Society (1-3)
- HIST 255 History of Reproduction in the Atlantic World (3)
- HIST 256 History of Science and Technology (3)
- HIST 291 Disease, Medicine, and History (3)
- HIST 350 Special Topics in Comparative/Transnational History (3)
- HIST 359 Modern Jewish History: French Revolution to Present (3)
- HIST 366 Comparative Slavery in the Americas (3)
- HIST 450 Research Seminar in Comparative/Transnational History (3)
- WGST 255 History of Reproduction in the Atlantic World (3)
Electives
Complete 9 additional credit hours from any of the above five distribution areas or the following courses:
- HIST 293 Introduction to Public History: Theory and Methods (3)
- HIST 403 Reading and Independent Study in History (3)
- HIST 496 Field Internship (3)
Senior Capstone:
3 credit hours in a capstone research seminar, senior paper, or bachelor’s essay (normally taken in the senior year, which requires a substantial paper).
- CLAS 401 Research Seminar in Classics (3)
- HIST 410 Research Seminar in U.S. History (3)
- HIST 420 Research Seminar in Lowcountry History (3)
- HIST 441 Research Seminar in Modern European History (3)
- HIST 450 Research Seminar in Comparative/Transnational History (3)
- HIST 461 Research Seminar in Modern Asia, Africa, Latin America (3)
- HIST 470 Research Seminar in Premodern History (3)
- HIST 498 Senior Paper (3)
- HIST 499A Bachelor’s Essay (3)
- HIST 499B Bachelor’s Essay (3)