Catalog vs. schedule — two different things
The catalog is the permanent description of every course Porter offers: subject, number, title, credits, prerequisites, when it is typically offered, and a paragraph on what it covers and what you will be able to do afterward. It also holds every degree, minor, and certificate's official requirements. The class schedule is the each-term list of which of those courses are actually running, in which sections, at what times, in what rooms or formats, with which instructor, and how many seats are left. You browse the catalog to plan a degree; you register from the schedule. A course in the catalog is not a promise it runs every term — check the "typically offered" line and plan around the ones that run once a year.
Both live in MyPorter; the catalog also has a public, printable version for each academic year.
Reading a course entry
A line like "MFGE 340 — Manufacturing Automation (3 cr). Prereq: MFGE 240 and MATH 220. Offered fall. May not be repeated for credit." tells you: it is a 300-level (advanced undergraduate) manufacturing engineering course worth 3 credits; you must have passed the two listed courses first; it runs in the fall only; and taking it twice does not add credit. Watch for "concurrent enrollment allowed" (you can take the prereq at the same time), "consent of instructor" (email the professor for a permission number), cross-listings (the same course under two subject codes — it counts once), and credit-range courses like "1–6 cr" used for internships and independent study where you and a faculty sponsor set the number.
Prerequisites are enforced by the registration system. If you have met one by transfer or a test score that has not posted yet, that is what a registration override is for.
What the numbers mean
100–299 are introductory and lower-division, generally open to any student who meets the prerequisites. 300–499 are upper-division: they assume foundational coursework and are where most major depth lives. 500–699 are advanced courses that carry graduate credit — qualified seniors can sometimes take them for undergraduate credit with approval. 700 and above are graduate-only. The first digit is about level and expectation, not difficulty in the abstract: a 200-level course in a new-to-you field can be harder than a 400-level course in your strength.
Subject codes (four letters) group courses by field; the catalog lists every code and the department that owns it.
Which catalog year governs your degree
You complete the degree requirements from the catalog in effect when you first enrolled (your "catalog year"), even as the catalog changes around you — so a requirement added two years into your program does not retroactively apply. You keep that catalog year as long as you stay continuously enrolled; a long gap, a program change, or readmission can move you to a newer one. You may also choose to adopt a newer catalog if its requirements suit you better, but it is all-or-nothing — you cannot mix the favorable parts of two years.
Professional programs with external accreditation or licensure standards are the exception: a change mandated by the licensing body can apply to everyone. Your degree audit is always built against your governing catalog year; an adviser confirms which one that is.
Questions?
See the full staff & office directory for any phone number or email. Because this is a fictional parody site, addresses and phone numbers are illustrative and do not reach a real university.