The Course Catalog
A course catalog is an organized, descriptive list of course offerings at a college or university. Often, course catalogs feature additional information covering academic and administrative policies and procedures. Most schools offer a digital version of the course catalog, accessible through your portal or college website. Though digital versions are easier to navigate, print or pdf versions are often useful if you don't know what you're looking for just yet.
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Before we take a look at an example of a course listing from an actual course catalog, it might be helpful to brush up on some key terms below.
Reading a Course Description
Let's practice reading the course descriptions for a few Geology courses at Sonoma State University.
3 cups
Blueberries
3 cups
Flour
1½ cups
Butter
The class is worth three units because it includes both lecture and lab
Note the class requires a field trip and extra fees.
This class satisfies GE Category B1 as well as the lab requirement
3 cups
Blueberries
3 cups
Flour
1½ cups
Butter
This class is in the 300's, a common indicator of an upper-division course
This class satisfies GE category B3
Though this class is only 1 unit, it requires simultaneous enrollment with GEOL 303, in other words, it's a corequisite
This class has one prerequisite
Though this class also includes a lecture and lab, the lab is 4 hours so the class is worth 4 units