Online Catalog of Studies Gives Students Easier Access to Academic Requirements

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas has published a new online version of the annual Catalog of Studies, the first designed for easy use on mobile devices such tablets and smart phones.

“Having a Catalog of Studies that is fully digital is a service that the University of Arkansas is really pleased to offer our prospective and current students,” said Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “The catalog will be easy to maintain, to search, and to access from wherever the student or faculty member happens to be.”

Among the new features is an integrated course description. A student can click on any course number in the catalog and a description of the course will pop up, listing any prerequisites or course equivalencies.

“Adding course equivalencies will be a huge help for students who transfer to the University of Arkansas from other institutions in the state,” said Dave Dawson, University of Arkansas registrar and associate vice provost for enrollment services. “The state Department of Higher Education requires that certain courses be transferrable within Arkansas, but each institution in the state has a slightly different numbering system or course title. The equivalency shows a student which courses do transfer seamlessly.”

The administrative side of making course changes and program changes will also become simpler in process and more streamlined. When a department proposes changes to an academic program, the proposed changes will be guided automatically through an online approval system with opportunities for faculty committees to make suggestions and corrections. Eventual approval will feed the changes directly into the next year’s catalog.

Charlie Alison, executive editor for the catalogs, said, “This technology will allow us to make key changes in one place in the catalog and have that particular update instantly be included throughout the catalog. The new software will allow us to improve accuracy and speed when creating this important document each year, greatly benefiting all our users.”

The Catalog of Studies is published once each year prior to the new school year. It provides academic requirements for completion of each of the more than 200 undergraduate, graduate and law degrees offered by the university; semester-by-semester plans for undergraduates; and information about the university such as requirements for admission, options for scholarships and financial aid, and guidelines for participation in the Honors College, among other features.

The online catalog is split into the Undergraduate Catalog, the Graduate Catalog and the Law Catalog. For students who entered the University of Arkansas under a previous catalog, older catalogs are still available in the online catalog archives.