One of the first things you should look for as a prospective student (either electronically or in hard copy) is the college catalogue.

This document is essentially the contract between the campus and the entering student that defines campus requirements and policies. It is usually published annually or biannually by the campus, listing all requirements for general education, to earn degrees, and so forth. It usually includes descriptions of all courses and their requirements and prerequisite courses.

The college catalog also often includes important policies of the campus that define the expectations of students, procedures for handling disciplinary problems, and so forth. For example, it might include a policy on appropriate use of technological resources, grounds for academic dismissal, policies on sexual harassment, and many more. You should make sure that you are familiar with the policies of your campus upon matriculation.

One thing that might make things easier is the ability to quickly search the catalog electronically. Does the online catalog have a search engine that allows for a quick examination of keywords to identify relevant policies, courses, and other important information? For example, you might be interested in studying Mexican history. By using a search engine, you would be able to quickly identify all courses having to do with Mexico, rather than having to search the listings in History, Sociology, Geography, and so forth.

The catalog changes every year or so, and having it online not only saves you from having to purchase one from every campus you are considering, you also can view the most current information when you actually enroll.