Education Catalogs

According to the dictionary, the word “catalog” which is also, by the way, correctly spelled as “catalogue” is an organized, a detailed and a descriptive list of items that is arranged and categorized in a logical and a systematic manner.  Catalogs are most often used as tools of commerce for marketing, for advertising and for sales.  Many catalogs are still available in the old fashioned printed form which gives them the appearance of magazine.  However, thanks to the latest technology and the World Wide Web (WWW), catalogs are also available online at countless websites on the Internet.

Education Catalogs can originate from two very different sources.  The one source would be the retail or wholesale business that specializes in selling items which are intended to develop, sharpen and broaden the minds of children of all ages such as books, puzzles and learning games.  The other source of Education Catalogs is somewhat different as it would be a nonprofit educational facility such as a public or private school or college rather than a commercial business that is looking to make profits.  Although some pricing is listed between the covers of Education Catalogs from the second source and their contents promote and market to some extent, these Education Catalogs primary focus on informative and explanatory listings while providing details about curriculums and their descriptions.

To make my point a bit clearer, I will review a couple of examples from each one of the two sources of Education Catalogs:

• Education Catalogs from Commercial Sources.
• Bright Minds is a mail order company that was established in 2000 and is based in Bath, England.  In a relatively short time, they had earned five national awards including the prestigious ECMOD 2007 Award for best mail order business in its category and were rated among the top ten mail order companies based in the United Kingdom in 2007.  Bright Minds service their own local and national markets as well as the international and overseas markets with a pledged commitment to fun learning at home with well over 1,5000 educational items of top quality.
• Just Childplay is a retailer based in the United Kingdom who is committed to offering an exceptional array of top quality educational toys and games that were selected for their fun aspect with a potential to enhance children’s enthusiasm for leaning.
• Education Catalogs from Schools and Colleges.
• The general catalog of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) includes just about everything anyone might need to know about the school and its various colleges and it is all detailed under the following main categories which are then further divided into subcategories such as Message from the Chancellor; Majors and Degrees; Undergraduate Minors and Specializations; Graduate Concurrent and Articulated Degrees; About UCLA; Undergraduate Study; Graduate Study; Academic Policies; College and Schools; and Curricula and Courses.
• The catalog of the University of Southern California (USC) is considered to be an authoritative document and provides comprehensive information about the school with all its departments and all the courses which are offered.  The catalog is divided into the following main categories which are then further divided for a closer look at A Message from the President; Senior Administration of the University (Academic Deans, University Professor, Distinguished Professor, Faculty Endowments); About USC (USC Today, A Brief History, Student Life); Academic Policies (Academic Calendar, Publications, Orientation, Registration, University Policies, Examinations, Academic Standards, Exception Procedures); Tuition and Fees; as well as Undergraduate Education (Admission, Admission of International Students, Resident Honors Program, USC Learning Communities, Financial Aid for Undergraduate Students).

Now that you have had the chance to review the differences between the Education Catalogs, you will note that, regardless of which organization stands behind them, they are actually quite the same in that they all strive to educate.