About the Catalog

Introduction:

The General Catalog is the University's primary, comprehensive single source of departmental, college and university-wide information related to academic programs. Courses, degree programs, and policies that govern progress towards completion of an undergraduate degree are described in the Catalog.  On many subjects, more detailed information is available from departments, colleges or administrative units responsible for various programs and services.  Students should seek information from these sources as needed. 

For non-academic information that used to be included in the Catalog (before the Catalog became online only), please refer to Related Topics on the Academic Policies and Procedures page or go to the UA Homepage.

The General Catalog is divided into seven sections.  Highlights of each section follow.

Academic Calendar:

This is the official, Faculty Senate approved, Academic Calendar for the University of Arizona.  Many policies, procedures, and deadlines are coordinated with the Academic Calendar.  It is very important to be aware of the dates for registration, withdrawal, and other academic procedures.  Also see the Registration Dates and Deadlines and the Payment Dates and Deadlines.

Academic Policies:

This section includes current university-wide academic policies.  They include information about graduation requirements, grade appeal, academic integrity, and other policies that bear directly on progress towards completion of an undergraduate degree.  Additional policies related to specific degree programs and majors can be found by consulting information provided by the offering unit.  Links to academic unit home pages are provided on the Catalog's department pages.

Academic Departments: 

Each academic, degree-granting unit at the University has an information section in the General Catalog which includes these items, where applicable:

• contact information for the academic unit (address, phone, email, link to home page)
• courses of instruction offered by the unit
• degrees, majors, minors, options, and graduate certificates offered by the unit
• a general description of the discipline(s) and the academic programs offered

For more information contact the academic units directly.

Course Descriptions: 

Descriptions of all UA credit courses of instruction are listed in the General Catalog by academic unit.  Use the course descriptions in tandem with the Schedule of Classes when planning your class schedule.  Courses that are offered for the given term are linked to the up-to-the-minute Schedule of Classes.  See also Key to Course Descriptions.

Previous Years' Course Descriptions:

Course descriptions from 1993 forward are online, select from the All Catalogs page.  Pre-1993 course descriptions are available for copying at the main library's reference area.  If you would like copies sent to you the fee is $5 per course description.  For course syllabi, contact the offering department.

To order pre-1993 course descriptions:

• Call, email, or write the Office of the Registrar at the address below; provide the exact year, semester, course number, and course name.  If you do not have this information, obtain a transcript first.
• Pay the $5 fee per page of course descriptions; checks or money orders are accepted, payable in US dollars, to the University of Arizona.  Master Card and Visa payments are also accepted, and must include:
  • complete card number
  • expiration date of card
  • 3 digit security code on back of card
  • cardholder name and address
• Expect delivery within 10 business days from receipt of your order and payment verification.

Office of the Registrar
Phone: (520) 621-3433, M - F, 8 - 5
Email: REG-rco@email.arizona.edu
The University of Arizona
Modern Languages Building Room 347
PO Box 210067
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0067

General Education: 

A summary of the University-Wide General Education and Foundations program for undergraduates, with links to the full requirements and related policies.

Undergraduate Majors & Degrees: 

Each major links to its official degree requirements, known as Academic Advisement Reports (ADVIPs).  Available options (a.k.a. subspecializations, concentrations, tracks, emphases, foci, etc.) are identified in the majors, where applicable. ADVIPs list all of the specific requirements for completing the degree program, including minimum number of units required for graduation, general education requirements, course requirements, and others.  Students need to be familiar with the ADVIP associated with their degree programs.  Also see the Student Responsibility and Degree Requirements Policy.  Majors are also listed in the Catalog by department, school, and college..

Undergraduate Minors: 

Undergraduate Minor Requirements Reports list all of the requirements for completing an undergraduate minor, including minimum number of units required for the minor, number of upper-division units required, and specific core courses, if any. Students need to be familiar with the minor report associated with their minor program. Also see the Student Responsibility and Degree Requirements Policy.  Minors are listed in the Catalog 2 ways:  by department and alphabetically.

UA Seal and External Link Images:

The Official Seal of The University of Arizona is located on each page of the General Catalog.  The Seal designates that the online General Catalog is an official University document of record for academic information and policy. The green arrow is used to identify links that are external to the General Catalog site, such as department or college home pages.

Printing Catalog Pages

The General Catalog is available online only.

We have designed the Catalog so that each page fits horizontally when printed on regular 8.5" wide paper.  Below are some helpful tips to control other aspects of your printed output.

Printing only a portion of a Web page:  1) One option is to copy the critical text that you want to print, and then paste it into another program, like Word or Notepad, and print from that program.  2) Most browsers give you the option to specify a range of page numbers for printing.  To do this, select FILE, PRINT and  enter your desired page range in the Print Dialog Box.  Some versions of Netscape offer a convenient FILE, PRINT PREVIEW so that you can scroll down and note which page numbers you want to print before you decide on the page range. 

Adding helpful information to printed output:  Most Web browsers give you the option to add helpful header and footer information to your printed output, such as:  the document title, location (URL), date printed, page numbers, etc.   Simply choose FILE, PAGE SETUP, make your choices, and Click OK.  This information can come in very handy, especially when you refer back to these pages after a period of time.

Printing linked pages:  Newer versions of the Internet Explorer browser allow you to print a Web page as well as all the pages that are linked from it.  Choose FILE, PRINT, OPTIONS and check the box that says "print all linked documents". Please be careful when choosing this option! Be sure to browse through all the linked pages beforehand, or you may end up printing way more pages than you need.

Curricular Affairs...
maintains the Catalog websites; manages and contributes the academic calendar, and academic policies.

UAccess...

 provides course descriptions, and major and minor requirements.

Academic Units...
contribute their college, school, committee, and department contact information along with their descriptive text.

Updates and Corrections to Catalog Information

Contact information for your department, school, or college may be updated by sending email to catalog@arizona.edu.

Descriptive text about your programs and disciplines may be updated by sending email to catalog@arizona.edu.

Course description corrections and updates may be submitted through the Course Approval/Course Management System. Each academic unit has a designated person for this process. See the Course and Fee Management site for details, including critical deadlines and your department's authorized signatory agents and contacts.

Major and Minor requirement updates are due each December 15th for the following catalog year. Updates may be sent to the UAccess Degree Audit Team.

Please call or email if you have any questions about the updating process. Your input is essential to maintaining this site.

• Email 
  • For questions about updating academic program and academic calendar information, please contact: Pam Coonan, Senior Director, Academic and Curricular Affairs.
  • For questions about updating academic policy information, please contact Celeste Pardee in Curricular Affairs.
  • For questions about updating course information contact Room and Course Scheduling.