Program Overview

Program Overview

The CS50: Introduction to Computer Science program is an online course offered by Harvard University, designed for individuals with or without prior programming experience. This course teaches students how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently, covering topics such as abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development.

Course Details

• Course Length: 12 weeks
• Time Commitment: 10-20 hours per week
• Featuring faculty from: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Class Duration: January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2025
• Certificate Price: $219

Learning Outcomes

• Concepts like abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development
• Familiarity in a number of languages, including C, Python, SQL, JavaScript plus CSS, and HTML
• How to develop and present a final programming project to peers

Program Structure

The program is self-paced, allowing students to complete the course on their own schedule. Students who earn a satisfactory score on 9 problem sets and a final project are eligible for a certificate.

Faculty

• David J. Malan, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science at Harvard University
• Brian Yu, Senior Preceptor in Computer Science, Harvard University
• Doug Lloyd, Senior Preceptor in Computer Science, Harvard University

Ways to Take the Course

• Audit or Pursue a Verified Certificate: A Verified Certificate costs $219 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums.
• Alternatively, learners can audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums, but this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.

Professional Certificate Series

The program is part of a Professional Certificate Series, which includes:

• Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Python Programming
• Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Data Science
• Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Web Programming
• Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Databases using SQL
• Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Artificial Intelligence
• Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Cybersecurity

FAQs

• Learners can complete the courses across different runs of the course, but each individual course must be completed within the same course run.
• Progress on an individual course will not transfer between course runs.
• The HarvardX CS50 courses are designed for those who want to learn the fundamentals of computer science, including some commonly used programming languages.
• There are no prerequisites for CS50's Introduction to Computer Science and CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python. Other courses in the CS50 collection may have varying degrees of prerequisites.