I’m a History transfer and got into CSUF and CSULB, still waiting on UCLA. I was not even considering CSUF but their public history program got me thinking otherwise. We all know UCLA is one of the tops in History, but I need to narrow down my CSU choice! Which has the best history program? Help!
It probably depends on the specific kind of history that you are interested in. Since you are transferring, you’ve probably had some exposure to history coursework already. So maybe there is a specialized branch of history that is of particular interest to you. If so, then look up the web pages for the CSUF and CSULB faculty to see if they have specialists in that branch of history. Ideally you want your speciality to be handled by active faculty that are tenured or tenure-track (not lecturers, adjunct profs, visiting profs, or emeritus profs)
http://hss.fullerton.edu/history/faculty/tenure.aspx
http://www.cla.csulb.edu/departments/history/faculty/
If it seems like both schools cover your area of interest, or if you don’t have a particular specialty in mind, then I don’t think that either CSUF or CSULB has a reputation for being particularly strong or weak in history generally. If you like CSUF’s public history program, that might be a good reason to go there. If you can save money by commuting to one or the other, that might also be a good deciding factor.