What Is Programming? And How To Get Started
January 28, 2025
Article
This course is part of Foundations of Data Structures and Algorithms Specialization
Instructor: Sriram Sankaranarayanan
30,080 already enrolled
Included with
(187 reviews)
Recommended experience
Advanced level
Completion of previous courses. Calculus, probability theory: distributions, expectations and moments. Some programming experience with Python.
(187 reviews)
Recommended experience
Advanced level
Completion of previous courses. Calculus, probability theory: distributions, expectations and moments. Some programming experience with Python.
Describe basic algorithm design techniques
Create divide and conquer, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms
Understand intractable problems, P vs NP and the use of integer programming solvers to tackle some of these problems
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This course covers basic algorithm design techniques such as divide and conquer, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. It concludes with a brief introduction to intractability (NP-completeness) and using linear/integer programming solvers for solving optimization problems. We will also cover some advanced topics in data structures.
This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s MS in Data Science or MS in Computer Science degrees offered on the Coursera platform. These fully accredited graduate degrees offer targeted courses, short 8-week sessions, and pay-as-you-go tuition. Admission is based on performance in three preliminary courses, not academic history. CU degrees on Coursera are ideal for recent graduates or working professionals. Learn more: MS in Data Science: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/master-of-science-data-science-boulder MS in Computer Science: https://coursera.org/degrees/ms-computer-science-boulder
We will formally cover divide and conquer algorithms as a design scheme and look at some divide and conquer algorithms we have encountered in the past. We will learn some divide and conquer algorithms for Integer Multiplication (Karatsuba’s Algorithm), Matrix Multiplication (Strassen’s Algorithm), Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs), and Finding Closest Pair of Points.
9 videos13 readings5 assignments1 programming assignment1 discussion prompt
In this module, you will learn about dynamic programming as a design principle for algorithms. We will provide a step-by-step approach to formulating a problem as a dynamic program and solving these problems using memoization. We will cover dynamic programming for finding longest common subsequences, Knapsack problem and some interesting dynamic programming applications.
6 videos6 readings5 assignments1 programming assignment
In this module, we will learn about greedy algorithms. We will understand the basic design principles for greedy algorithms and learn about a few algorithms for greedy scheduling and Huffman codes. We will also learn some interesting cases when being greedy provides a guaranteed approximation to the actual solution.
5 videos4 readings3 assignments1 programming assignment
P vs NP, Examples such as Travelling Salesperson Problem, Vertex Cover, 3-Coloring and others; Integer Linear Programming and Translating Problems into Integer Programming.
9 videos5 readings4 assignments1 programming assignment
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
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This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
University of Colorado Boulder
Degree · 2 years
University of Colorado Boulder
Degree · 24 months
¹Successful application and enrollment are required. Eligibility requirements apply. Each institution determines the number of credits recognized by completing this content that may count towards degree requirements, considering any existing credits you may have. Click on a specific course for more information.
187 reviews
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Reviewed on Sep 18, 2022
Great work from professor Sriram Sankaranarayanan explaining such complex material. I wish we could review more examples during the class (specially Dynamic Programming ones).
Reviewed on Apr 5, 2024
Amazing opportunity to learn! A Stanford graduate as a professor, OMG! Super bright!
Reviewed on Sep 20, 2021
Excellent. This course covers some difficult topics, but the lectures and homework assignments were superb and made them quite approachable.
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A cross-listed course is offered under two or more CU Boulder degree programs on Coursera. For example, Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms is offered as both CSCA 5414 for the MS-CS and DTSA 5503 for the MS-DS.
· You may not earn credit for more than one version of a cross-listed course.
· You can identify cross-listed courses by checking your program’s student handbook.
· Your transcript will be affected. Cross-listed courses are considered equivalent when evaluating graduation requirements. However, we encourage you to take your program's versions of cross-listed courses (when available) to ensure your CU transcript reflects the substantial amount of coursework you are completing directly in your home department. Any courses you complete from another program will appear on your CU transcript with that program’s course prefix (e.g., DTSA vs. CSCA).
· Programs may have different minimum grade requirements for admission and graduation. For example, the MS-DS requires a C or better on all courses for graduation (and a 3.0 pathway GPA for admission), whereas the MS-CS requires a B or better on all breadth courses and a C or better on all elective courses for graduation (and a B or better on each pathway course for admission). All programs require students to maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA for admission and graduation.
Yes. Cross-listed courses are considered equivalent when evaluating graduation requirements. You can identify cross-listed courses by checking your program’s student handbook.
You may upgrade and pay tuition during any open enrollment period to earn graduate-level CU Boulder credit for << this course/ courses in this specialization>>. Because << this course is / these courses are >> cross listed in both the MS in Computer Science and the MS in Data Science programs, you will need to determine which program you would like to earn the credit from before you upgrade.
MS in Data Science (MS-DS) Credit: To upgrade to the for-credit data science (DTSA) version of << this course / these courses >>, use the MS-DS enrollment form. See How It Works.
MS in Computer Science (MS-CS) Credit: To upgrade to the for-credit computer science (CSCA) version of << this course / these courses >>, use the MS-CS enrollment form. See How It Works.
If you are unsure of which program is the best fit for you, review the MS-CS and MS-DS program websites, and then contact datascience@colorado.edu or mscscoursera-info@colorado.edu if you still have questions.
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