Harvard CS50x is Harvard University's introduction to computer science and the art of programming, and you can take it for free as an OpenCourseWare course even if you are not a Harvard student. It runs over 11 weeks, needs no previous programming experience, and has no application deadline. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the official course page so you can see what you learn, how the weekly workflow works and where to start.
What Is Harvard CS50x?
CS50 is Harvard University's introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming, for concentrators and non-concentrators alike, with or without prior programming experience. Two thirds of CS50 students have never taken a computer science course before.
🧠 The course teaches you how to solve problems, both with and without code, with an emphasis on correctness, design and style.
🎨 Problem sets are inspired by the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences.
🗣️ More than teaching one language, it teaches you how to program fundamentally and how to teach yourself new languages.
Who Can Take CS50x?
🌐 Anyone: the official page says that even if you are not a student at Harvard, you are welcome to take this course for free via the OpenCourseWare.
🌱 No prior programming experience is required.
📝 No registration to start: you go straight to the course page.
What You Learn in CS50x
🔧 Computational thinking, abstraction, algorithms and data structures, plus computer science more generally.
⚙️ C: the course starts with this traditional but omnipresent language that underlies today's newer languages. You learn functions, variables, conditionals and loops, and also how computers work underneath the hood, memory and all.
🐍 Python: the course then moves to this higher-level language, which you understand all the more because of C.
🗄️ SQL: toward the end of the term you learn how to store data in databases.
🌐 HTML, CSS and JavaScript: the tools for creating web and mobile apps.
🏁 Final project: the course culminates in a final project.
How to Take the Course: The Weekly Workflow
You work through eleven weeks of material. For each week, the official page asks you to follow this workflow:
📺 Watch the lecture
🧑🏫 Watch the section
💻 Submit the problem set
🎬 Watch the shorts
After the eleven weeks, you submit the course's final project.
Getting Feedback on Your Work
📬 To submit the problem sets and the final project for feedback, create an edX account if you do not have one yet.
💬 You can ask questions along the way through any of the course's communities.
Certificates and Credit Are Separate Options
The free OpenCourseWare route and the paid routes are different. The official page lists these alternatives, and their fees are not shown on the course page:
🎓 Verified certificate from edX: enroll at cs50.edx.org instead.
🌐 Professional certificate in web development: enroll at cs50.edx.org/programs/web.
🤖 Professional certificate in artificial intelligence: enroll at cs50.edx.org/programs/ai.
🐍 Professional certificate in Python programming: enroll at cs50.edx.org/programs/python.
🏛️ Transfer credit and accreditation from Harvard Extension School: register at web.dce.harvard.edu/extension/csci/e/50.
☀️ Transfer credit and accreditation from Harvard Summer School: register at web.dce.harvard.edu/summer/csci/s/50.
Is This an Erasmus+ or ESC Programme?
No. CS50x is an online course by Harvard University and is not part of the Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programmes. Taking the course through OpenCourseWare is free, and the paid certificate and credit routes above are separate offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CS50x free?
Yes. Taking the course through the OpenCourseWare is free. The edX verified certificate, the professional certificates and the Harvard Extension or Summer School credit are separate options with their own fees, which the course page does not list.
Do I need to be a Harvard student?
No. The course page states that even if you are not a student at Harvard, you are welcome to take the course for free.
Do I need programming experience?
No. The course is for people with or without prior programming experience, and two thirds of CS50 students have never taken computer science before.
How long does the course take?
The course has eleven weeks of material, followed by a final project.
Is there a deadline or an application?
There is no deadline and no registration to start. You open the course page and begin. To submit problem sets and the final project for feedback, you create an edX account.
Which programming languages will I learn?
You start with C, move to Python, and later meet SQL, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Find more opportunities like this in the Others section on Youth Works Hub.
Deadline
⏳ As soon as possible!
Links
🔗 Course page (CS50x): https://cs50.harvard.edu/x/
🎓 edX (certificates and feedback on your work): https://cs50.edx.org
