THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO

COMPUTER SCIENCE @ HARVARD

VERSION 7

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DESIGNED BY CS50
Havent taken CS50 yet? Visit cs50.net for FAQs.

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UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

Photograph by Eliza Grinnell

What is CS?
We like to say that CS teaches you how to think more methodically and how to solve problems more effectively. As such, its lessons are applicable well beyond the boundaries of CS itself. But CS is also, more generally, the study of information. How do you represent it? With what methods (aka algorithms) can you process it? Perhaps the most liberal answer, though, is that CS has no exclusive domain of its own, and that its importance comes from the problems to which it is applied. And therein lies the excitement. CS empowers you with tools and ideas that can be applied to practically any domain of interest to you, both in college and beyond.

How can I get a secondary in CS?

Take any four courses numbered 50 or higher. See page 9 for popular study cards. See Computer Science under Secondary Fields in the Handbook for Students.

How do I concentrate in CS?

Take at least two of CS50, CS51, and CS61; take CS121 and another theory course; take four technical electives; and take Math 21a and Math 21b. Plus take any of Math 1a, Math 1b, and CS20 as needed. See page 8 for popular study cards. See Computer Science under Fields of Concentration in the Handbook for Students.

Can I change my concentration to CS?

Yes, so long as you still have time to satisfy the requirements. Even David J. Malan 99, who now teaches CS50, didnt take his first CS course until his sophomore year, when he switched from Government to CS.

What is CS not?
Contrary to popular belief, CS is not really about programming, even though you do learn how to program. Programming languages are tools that Computer Scientists use or create in order to solve problems of interest to them.

Does CS require a thesis?

No, not for non-Honors or Honors, but for High Honors and Highest Honors, its expected. See Computer Science under Fields of Concentration in the Handbook for Students.

Is a thesis just a big program?

No, a thesis is a research paper. You might end up writing programs in order to evaluate your ideas, but those programs are ordinarily means to an end, not an end in themselves. Visit cs.harvard.edu/thesis for examples.

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

How do I graduate with Honors in CS?

Take six technical electives instead of four and have a concentration GPA in the top half of your class. See Computer Science under Fields of Concentration in the Handbook for Students.

Should I activate Advanced Standing and get a fourth-year masters degree in CS?
Maybe! If you are eligible for Advanced Standing and think you could handle eight (mostly) 200-level CS courses, its a great opportunity. Your bachelors degree doesnt even need to be in CS, so long as you can still satisfy the prerequisites for the 200-level courses. See Other Academic Opportunities in the Handbook for Students.

How do I graduate with High Honors in CS?

High Honors are decided by faculty vote. You must ordinarily write an excellent thesis to be considered. See Computer Science under Fields of Concentration in the Handbook for Students.

How do I graduate with Highest Honors in CS?

Highest Honors are decided by faculty vote. You must ordinarily write an outstanding thesis to be considered. See Computer Science under Fields of Concentration in the Handbook for Students.

Can I do a joint concentration between CS and another eld?

Yes, but you probably shouldnt. Joint concentrations are really for students who want to write a thesis on some research problem in the intersection of two fields. If you simply want to study both fields, its generally best to get a secondary or simply take courses in CS or the other field.

Do any CS courses count for Gen Ed?

Yes! To satisfy Empirical & Mathematical Reasoning, take CS1, CS20, CS50, or CS171. (Note that CS1 does not count toward a concentration or secondary in CS.) To satisfy Culture & Belief, take CS105.

Is CS part of Mind, Brain, and Behavior?

Yes! See Computer Science under Fields of Concentration in the Handbook for Students.

Should I study CS even if I dont want to be a programmer?

Yes! CS concentrators head off in all sorts of directions after graduation. See Figure 1 for titles that alumni since 1984 now hold. See Figure 2 for fields in which alumni since 1984 can now be found.
Figure 1: Titles that alumni since 1984 now hold.

Does a grade of SAT in CS50 count for concentration credit?

If you intend to concentrate in CS, you should take CS50 for a letter grade. But should you decide to concentrate in CS only after taking CS50, a SAT in CS50 would count for concentration credit.

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

Figure 2: Fields in which alumni since 1984 can now be found.

Should I concentrate or minor in CS even if I dont want to work in tech?

Yes! CS empowers you to solve problems in all sorts of domains. Heres where alumni since 1984 can be found:
033 Asset Management 2Wire Inc. AAA Northern California, Nevada, Utah Ab Initio Software Corporation Acccenture Accel Partners Accenture Access Global Partners Action Verb LLC Active Endpoints, Inc. Acumen Fund AdNectar Adobe Systems Aegon Agile Communications, Inc Agilex Technologies AIG Akamai Technologies Alliance Growth Equities Alverno College Amazon.com Amdocs American Express Andera, Inc. Angelo, Gordon Apple, Inc. AQR Capital Management Aravo Solutions AristoDigital Asprova Corporation AT Kearney Inc Athenahealth, Inc. Authoria, Inc. Autodesk Inc Autonomy Bain Capital Bainwood Huang & Associates Barclays Capital BBN Technologies Beaver Lakefront Resort, Inc. Bee North, LLC Bellevue Hospital Center Bessemer

Venture Partners Big Tent Design Bingham McCutchen Blackhorse Asset Management Bloomberg, LP Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd Booz Allen Hamilton Boston Consulting Group Boston Harbor Ship Yard and Marina #F3 Boston University Briar Rose LLC Bridgewater Associates Bronto Software, Inc Building Educated Leaders for Life CA, Inc. California State University - Hayward Caltech Cambridge Semantics Cardozo School of Law Carnegie Mellon University Children's Hospital Ciplex.com Citigroup ClearNow, Inc. Clever Machine Cliff Island Software CNA Insurance CoBu Technology Code Red Cognex Corp Colorado Technical University - Kansas City Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University/Harlem Hospital Center CommonMind LLC Computational Models Inc Computer Partners Inc Congregation B'nai Torah Contra Costa Community College District Council on Spiritual Practices Credit Suisse Credit Suisse First Boston CrossTech Group CTB/ McGraw-Hill Cuil D. E. Shaw & Co. Daiwa Securities America Dangermarc Studios Daniel's Jewelers

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

Danoo, Inc. Dartmouth Medical School Data Deletives Davis Polk & Wardwell DE Shaw & Co. Deloitte & Touche Department of Justice DeSales University Deutsche Bank Diamond Management & Technology Consultants Dimagi Inc. Dixie State College DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration DoubleClick Inc. DoubleDyno, Inc. Dowling & Partners Securities, LLC Draper Fisher Jurvetson Eastport Analytics Inc Eastwan Kodak Co Effici LLC Electroactive Inc Ellington Management Group EMC Corporation EMC*2 Corp. Endeca Technologies Entelos, Inc. etrials Worldwide, Inc Evans Griffiths & Hart, Inc Facebook FAS Computer Services Feith Systems & Software, Inc. Feldman Gale, P.A. Fidelity Investments First Potomac Realty Trust Fish & Richardson P. C. Five Oaks Technologies, Inc. Flixster, Inc. Fluidnet Flybridge Capital Partners Fore Research and Management Forest View Elementary School Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center frog design Gao

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Hua Securities Limited Gartner, Inc Genentech, Inc. Goldman Sachs Google Goose Networks, Inc. Greater Greater Washington GreenRoad Technologies Inc Greenwich Capital Guardian Technologies International, Inc. Guidewire Software Harvard Business School Harvard College Harvard University Hasbro, Inc. Highland Financial Holdings Group HLCSoft Holland & Davis LLC Horizon Asset International Limited Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin Hyperion Solutions Idiom Technologies IL2000 iLike Imagen Incorporated IMakeNews, Inc. Immunity, Inc. Index Ventures Industry Aspect LLC Information Builders Inc Ingeeni Studios, Inc. Integrative Bodywork Intel Corporation Intel Semiconductor Ltd Interactive Factory InterfaceThis International Air Transport Association International Business Machines Intuit ISI iSkoot, Inc. JP Morgan J2 Interactive LLC Jamison Group Janus Capital Group Jefferies International Limited Jones Day Joy Health &

Photograph by Dan Armendariz

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Wellness, LLC Juniper Networks KANTOR Management Consultants Katzenbach Partners LLC Keane, Inc Khosla Ventures Kiva Microfunds Knesset of Israel Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP Kowintec, Inc Krauss Dermatology La Quinta High School Legacy Investments, Inc Legg Mason Linden Lab LinkedIn Liquid Machines Lithium Lonely Planet Lontra LookSmart LucidEra Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Mage Sports, LLC Marathon Asset Management Marin Academy Marin Software MarketMind Technologies Marsh Croft Property Group, LLC Masergy Communications Massachusetts General Hospital Match.com Maveron McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company, Israel McMasterCarr Supply Company MDCIV, Inc. MDT Advisers Medtronic Mercatus LLC Mercer Management Consulting Metacapital Management Metaphor Computer Micro Office Solutions Microsoft Microsoft Research Mindworks Software LLC MIT MIT Computer Science and AI Lab MIT Lincoln Laboratory MLB Advanced Media MobiTech 3000 LLC Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, P.C. Mozilla Corporation MySpace Nassau University Medical Center National Institute of Standards and Technology National Institute on Aging National Institutes of Health Network Appliance Network Appliance, Inc. Neufeld Scheck & Brustin, LLP New Enterprise Associates New Mountain Capital LLC New York Law School nextstop.com NFL Nintendo Technology Development, Inc. Northeast Orthopaedic Specialists, PC Northeastern University Numeric Investors LLC Ocala Eye Olympian Gaming, LLC OPNET Technologies Opnet Technology Optaros Inc Oracle / BEA Systems / Plumtree Software Oracle Corporation Orange Academy Orion IT Services Outbound Light Group Outcome Sciences, Inc Parfums Christian Dior Passport Technologies Patterson Harkavy LLP Paulson & Co., Inc. PDI/ Dreamworks Animation Peerspin, Inc. Philadelphia VA Medical Center Phillips & Nelson Media PictureCode Pittsburg Unified School District Pivot Inc. Pivotal Labs Pixar Animation Studios Pleco Software Pluralsight PopCap Games, Inc. Positive Energy Princeton University Procter & Gamble Project Einstein, Inc. Protea Systems Publishers Circulation Fulfillment, Inc. Pyramid Research Qualcomm Flarion Technologies Quia Quorum Federal Credit Union QVT Financial LP Random Walk Computing Raytheon RBC Capital Markets

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

Corporation Reach Network Rembrandt IP Management, LLC Renaissance Technologies Reservoir Labs Resource Capital Group Richland District Two Robbins Russell Englert Orseck Untereiner & Sauber LLP Round Two, Inc. Salt River Project Samasource.org Sears Holdings, Inc. Seaweed Systems Inc ServiceMaster Chesapeake Sevanta Systems Sharpcast Shaw Systems Associates Inc Shelflink Inc Shumway Capital SiBEAM, Inc Sienna Ventures Skyward Mobile Slide Small Business Administration SmartDraw.com SmartTurn SNiP Solid Concepts Company SRI International St. Catharine's College St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center State Street Associates State Street Global Advisors Stentor Inc Strake Jesuit College Preparatory School Suburban Radiologists, S.C. Sun Microsystems SunGard Higher Education SunTrust Symantec Corporation Tandberg Techcelerator Tellme Networks Teradyne Inc The Cutler Group The Invus Group LLC The Walt Disney Company Third Sky Inc TIBCO Software Inc Ticketmaster Inc Tom Stone Gallery Topix.net TrafficBroker Treehouse Enterprises TripAdvisor Inc TTI-C Tudor Investment Tufs University Tulane Law School Two Sigma Investments Tykhe Capital LLC U.S. Federal Government UBS Financial Services UCSF Union College Univ. of Southern California University of Auckland University of California, Berkeley University of Maryland University of Maryland, College Park University of Michigan University of Minnesota University of New Hampshire University of Pennsylvania University of Washington US Agency for International Development US Foodservice US Secret Service Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University Medical Center Venrock VidaTech Incorporated Viewlogic Systems ViPS Virgin HealthMiles, Inc. VistaPrint Visto Corp VMware, Inc VMware, Inc. Washington State 8th District Weight Watchers International Weill Cornell Medical College Windward Mark Interactive Wireless Generation WorldChain Inc Xaraf Management LLC Xaverian Brothers High School Yahoo! Yale University Yam's Electronics Fty Ltd Yieldex Zantaz Inc. Zappos.com, Inc. zeo Capital Advisors, Inc. Zyasoft LLC

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

Photograph by Titus Jahng

Can I do research in CS?

Yes! Many CS courses offer opportunities for research, particularly 200-level courses. And you can take CS91r to work one-on-one with faculty. Students and faculty do research in all sorts of areas, including, but not limited to: Artificial Intelligence and Computational Linguistics Computation and Economics Graphics, Visualization, and Imaging Human-Computer Interaction Information, Systems, and Networks Intelligent Systems and Computer Vision Languages, Compilers, and Operating Systems Multi-Agent Systems Privacy and Security Theory of Computation

Will everyone in CS know more than me?

No! Contrary to popular belief, not every Computer Scientist has been programming since childhood! In fact, 73% of the students who took CS50 in Fall 2012 had never taken a CS course before. Only 20% had taken one, and only 7% had taken two or more, per Figure 3.
Two or more 7% One 20% None 73%

Figure 3: CS50 is most students very first course in CS. 73% of the students who took CS50 in Fall 2012 had never taken a CS course before; 20% had taken one; and 7% had taken two or more.

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

For those with stronger math backgrounds, interested in hard-core systems AM21a: Mathematical Methods in the Sciences AM21b: Mathematical Methods in the Sciences CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS127: Introduction to Cryptography CS143: Computer Networks CS144r: Network Design Projects CS152: Programming Languages CS161: Operating Systems CS165: Information Management Math 25a: Honors Linear Algebra and Real Analysis I Math 25b: Honors Linear Algebra and Real Analysis II AM106: Applied Algebra AM107: Graph Theory and Combinatorics CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS91r: Supervised Reading and Research CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS127: Introduction to Cryptography CS141: Computing Hardware CS152: Programming Languages CS175: Computer Graphics AM21a: Mathematical Methods in the Sciences AM21b: Mathematical Methods in the Sciences CS20: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS141: Computing Hardware CS146: Computer Architecture CS181: Intelligent Machines: Perception, Learning, and Uncertainty CS187: Computational Linguistics CS189r: Autonomous Multi-Robot Systems

Popular Study Cards for Concentrators

Plenty of other combinations are possible. Graduate-level (200-level) courses are also allowed!
For late converts to CS Math 1a: Introduction to Calculus Math 1b: Calculus, Series, and Differential Equations AM21b: Mathematical Methods in the Sciences CS20: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization CS109: Data Science CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS141: Computing Hardware CS171: Visualization CS179: Design of Usable Interactive Systems

For budding theorists writing theses

For those without prior college-level math, interested in human-computer interaction Math 1a: Introduction to Calculus Math 1b: Calculus, Series, and Differential Equations AM21a: Mathematical Methods in the Sciences AM21b: Mathematical Methods in the Sciences CS20: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization CS105: Privacy and Technology CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS171: Visualization CS179: Design of Usable Interactive Systems CS182: Intelligent Machines: Reasoning, Actions, and Plans

For those interested in machine intelligence

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

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For those interested in life sciences CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS171: Visualization

Popular Study Cards for Secondaries

Plenty of other combinations are possible. Graduate-level (200-level) courses are also allowed!
For those less comfortable CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS105: Privacy and Technology CS171: Visualization CS179: Design of Usable Interactive Systems

For those interested in business CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS105: Privacy and Technology CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS165: Information Management

For those more comfortable CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS161: Operating Systems

For those interested in math CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS127: Introduction to Cryptography

For those interested in data CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS109: Data Science CS165: Information Management CS171: Visualization

For those interested in networks CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS143: Computer Networks CS144r: Networks Design Projects

For those interested in economics CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS182: Intelligent Machines: Reasoning, Actions, and Plans CS186: Economics and Computation For those interested in efficiency CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms

For those interested in programming languages CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization CS152: Programming Languages CS153: Compilers

For those interested in robotics CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS121: Introduction to Formal Systems and Computation CS182: Intelligent Machines: Reasoning, Actions, and Plans CS189r: Autonomous Multi-Robot Systems For those interested in speech recognition CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS182: Intelligent Machines: Reasoning, Actions, and Plans CS187: Computational Linguistics For those interested in software development CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS124: Data Structures and Algorithms CS164: Software Engineering

For those interested in graphics CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS51: Introduction to Computer Science II CS171: Visualization CS175: Computer Graphics

For those interested in hardware CS50: Introduction to Computer Science I CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization CS141: Computing Hardware CS148: Design of VLSI Circuits and Systems

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UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CS @ HARVARD

Life after 50
You can head off in all sorts of directions after CS50, but here are some popular routes. See Computer Science in the Courses of Instruction for prerequisites.

FALL SPRING

CS148
Design of VLSI Circuits and Systems

CS179
Design of Usable Interactive Systems

CS146
Computer Architecture

CS141
Computing Hardware

CS171
Visualization

CS109
Data Science

CS124
Data Structures and Algorithms

CS50
Introduction to Computer Science I

CS105
Privacy and Technology

Introduction to Cryptography

CS127

Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science

CS20

CS61 CS51
Introduction to Computer Science II System Programming & Machine Organization

CS121
Introduction to Formal Systems & Computation

CS143 CS152
Programming Languages Computer Networks

CS153
Compilers

CS187
Computational Linguistics

CS165
Information Management

CS161
Operating Systems

CS181 CS186
Economics and Computation Intelligent Machines: Perception, Learning, and Uncertainty

CS175
Computer Graphics

CS164
Software Engineering

CS182
Intelligent Machines: Reasoning, Actions, and Plans

CS189r
Autonomous Multi-Robot Systems

CS144r
Networks Design Projects