Writing for the Catalog

In an attempt to reduce redundancy among catalog sections, we have created two charts that compare the distinguishing attributes of marketing text and the program description, and career opportunities and ONET codes. For a more complete guide on how best to create and use catalog text, especially marketing text, please reference the Catalog Style Guide (PDF).

Jump to: Career opportunities vs. ONET codes

Comparison: Marketing Text vs. Program Description
Attribute	Marketing Text	Program Description
Purpose	To make an emotional connection with the student, or to draw them in so they continue reading	To present factual basic and specialized information about the academic program in a way that helps students decide if this is the right program for them as well as providing clarity for current students about what they should be learning in the program and any special opportunities they could have while in it.
Audience	Prospective students	Prospective students, current students, faculty, future employers, funding sources (VA, foreign sponsors, etc.), ABOR, other educators and schools, accreditation bodies
Limit	50 words	150 words (undergraduate); 450 words (graduate)
Updateability	Text is not archived, so it can be updated on-demand.	Text is included in academic catalog archive, so it can be updated only during the yearly catalog review.
Answers These Questions	What's in it for me (the future student)? How will I benefit from this program? OR What is a unique aspect of the program (academic opportunities), college or department, or research? Does this program have national recognition?	What is the program? (name) What do students learn, or what things are expected to be learned by the end of the program? What questions does it ask students to pursue, or what problems does it train students to try to solve? How do students learn (special courseware, labs, field exercises, practicum, etc.)? Are students encouraged to join a lab or faculty research group? Are there any special experiences in the program (internships, iTeach, semester in DC, etc.)? What, generally, does it prepare students to do? Concentrations: How does this concentration differ from other concentrations under the same umbrella degree? Grad: On what does faculty research or teaching interests focus?
Catalog Style Notes	Avoid stating the degree name here; it's redundant. Writing style is encouraged to be more informal (should use second person voice "you")	Program name must be used in program description; catalog style applied to all references to name; style must be more formal - third person voice only. However, remember the ASU language style is to be clear, direct and succint.
What Does Not Belong Here	Admission information, curricular content (culminating experience changes, extra courses, concentration information, etc.), anything already stated in the program description	Hyperbole or hyperbolic statements, admission information, campus information, course listings, careers

Need help?

Your department’s marketing team is the best resource to help you pinpoint what to feature in your marketing text and program description and how best to present it. Please reference this Google doc for your college’s marketing contact person.
You can refer to the Catalog Style Guide (PDF) for information specific to the Academic Catalog and for great ways to think about and start creating marketing text. If you prefer a more visual format, this marketing text training (PDF) is based on the catalog style information.
It also may help to familiarize yourself with the ASU brand and platform, as well as the language section of the Enterprise Brand and Marketing Guide’s writing style guide.

Comparison: Career Opportunities vs. ONET Codes
Attribute	Career Opportunities	ONET Codes
Audience	Prospective students, current students, parents, funding sources, employers, government agencies	Prospective students, current students, parents, funding sources
Style	Descriptive text in catalog style	Prescriptive codes provided by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics https://www.onetonline.org/
Limit	150 words	10 codes
Purpose	To connect transferable skills developed through the program to possible career pathways	Details growth data and salary data of jobs
In Other Words	Star-shaped degrees: ASU degrees can prepare students for multiple, interdisciplinary careers. A major does not always equal a career trajectory, and a career increasingly consists of a composite of jobs held throughout the working life.	Round peg jobs: often have a singular focus; BLS data can lag behind in creating occupational titles for new fields (e.g., biomimicry)
Updateability	Catalog exception: Although text is archived, it can be updated on demand	Text is not archived, so it can be updated on-demand.
Answers These Questions	It is okay to dream in this section and include a career field that might not currently exist or for which an ONET code does not exist. Is there an industry justification or a market need for this program? What kind of companies or organizations do graduates end up working in? What program-learned skills help them succeed and progress in their career? Are there cutting-edge career areas a student in this field could go into? Where could the future of the field take a student? Do graduates go on to advanced degrees? In this field? In related fields or professional programs (e.g., MD)? Where do program alumni work? Undergrad: Is there a way jobs listed in the ONET field could be purposefully stacked to create a career? Grad: What jobs are currently available and established in or related to this field? Grad: Are these green occupations? Grad: What is the growth rate for occupations in this field?	It is okay to be aspirational in this section, and to include jobs that might need an extra step (like an advanced degree or certification) between your program and the job. What jobs are currently available and established in this field or related to this field? Do jobs in this field have a bright outlook? Are these green occupations? What’s the growth rate for this occupation? What’s the median salary for people with this job?
What Does Not Belong Here	Admission information, curricular content, campus information, course listings, anything already stated in the program description, salary data	Anything that is not an ONET code
Reference Resources	ASU Career Services Bureau of Labor Statistics Lightcast (formerly EMSI)* Program accrediting bodies College career offices College marketing teams Your alumni network	ONET site Alternate career titles page

*Access to Lightcast data requires a license. The dean's office can inform if one exists for the college.

Note: Degree Search does not display the official ONET title as listed on https://www.onetonline.org/. Instead, we have worked with Career Services to create alternate titles that better match how a student may search for a career (e.g., "doctor" instead of "physician").

Note: ONET codes are only displayed on Degree Search for undergraduate programs as there is not a way to adjust the BLS data to display the salary or skill increases that would occur as a result of completion of post-baccalaureate degrees. However, ONET codes have proven useful in extending the me3 game to graduate programs and certificates. ONET codes in categories that list "All Other" do not carry enough information on the BLS site to be assigned a RIASEC code that would allow them to be used in the me3 game.