Syllabus
Overview
CS 61A, the Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, is the first course in UC Berkeley’s introduction to computer science, the CS 61 series.
- CS 61A concentrates on the idea of abstraction, allowing the programmer to think in terms appropriate to the problem rather than in low-level operations dictated by the computer hardware.
- CS 61B focuses on writing large-scale programs efficiently. It covers datastructures and algorithms and the tradeoffs of which to use when, and software engineering skills needed to construct large programs.
- CS 61C focuses on machines and how they execute programs.
In CS 61A, we are interested in teaching you about programming, not about how to use one particular programming language. We consider a series of techniques for managing program complexity, such as functional programming and object-oriented programming.
The course content primarily uses the Python programming language, but our goal is not to dictate what language you use in your future endeavors. Instead, our hope is that once you have learned the concepts involved in programming, you will find that picking up a new programming language is but a few days’ work.
Artificial Intelligence and Programming
Programming languages were invented to allow humans to describe programs to computers. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) now allow humans to describe programs to computers in natural languages such as English. The programs themselves are still written in programming languages and rely on the same concepts and structures that they did prior to these AI advances. However, use of AI tools to generate and manipulate programs is now pervasive.
CS 61A has been updated for the Fall 2026 offering to align with how programming languages are now used in the AI era. After developing a comprehensive understanding of programming, students will use AI coding agents in their final project to develop a large and complex software application. The course includes new content about software engineering and web technology. To make room, a few topics that are also covered in CS 61B have been deferred to that later course. See What’s New for more details.
Currently, the most capable users of AI for programming are those who have who have a strong foundational understanding of programs and programming languages. Effective use of AI, whether for programming or other domains, is enabled by understanding precisely what outcome one desires and then being able to describe it. Therefore, most of the content of the course has remained unchanged in this update. Understanding programming well enough to read, write, and manipulate programs, even without AI assistance, remains a core learning goal of this course and a great use of students’ time.
Prerequisites
Math 1A is listed as a corequisite for CS 61A. That is, it may be taken concurrently. Math 10A or Math 16A are also fine. It is possible to take CS 61A without knowing or learning calculus. Knowledge of calculus concepts will never be required to complete any assignments. However, taking calculus is a great way to practice the arithmetic and algebra that appear regularly in CS 61A.
There is no formal programming-related prerequisite for CS 61A because students without prior experience can succeed in the course, but taking the course without any prior programming experience is typically quite challenging. Students who take the course without prior programming experience typically must spend more time to complete assignments and tend to receive lower final grades in the course. Most CS 61A students have had significant prior programming experience. A typical background includes at least one course equivalent to CS 10 or a score of 3 or above on an AP Computer Science exam. See the advice of former students for more information on this topic.
If you find it challenging to complete all of the required coursework in the first three weeks, we strongly recommend that you take another course first. You’ll likely have a better experience taking 61A later. Taking CS 61A one semester later is unlikely to affect your degree progress or otherwise put you behind, but continuing to struggle in CS 61A despite this recommendation can lead to difficult academic circumstances that can affect your future opportunities. It’s better to finish CS 61A with strong mastery of the course material, even if that means delaying by a semester, than to rush through it.
Alternative Courses
Here are some alternative UC Berkeley courses that are better suited for students who do not have prior programming experience.
CS 10
CS 10: The Beauty and Joy of Computing is an introductory computer science course which is similar to CS 61A but moves at a more moderate pace. CS 10 covers variables, functions, recursion, algorithmic complexity, object-oriented programming, and many other relevant CS 61A topics, with the overall content overlap being about 50%. CS 10 starts the semester in Snap!, a block-based programming language which allows students to focus on conceptual understanding without worrying about unfamiliar syntax. After the midterm, the course transitions into Python (the primary language 61A uses). CS 10 also covers big ideas and social implications that go beyond programming, showing you the beauty and joy of computing.
Data 8
Data 8: The Foundations of Data Science is an introduction to data science designed to be accessible and useful for all Berkeley students. This course was built for students without prior programming experience. It teaches students to program in Python, but covers a much smaller subset of the language than CS 61A. Most of the course focuses on data processing and statistical techniques that are central to using computers to answer questions about the world. Taking Data 8 before 61A is a good way to gain prior programming experience, but taking CS 10 is a better way.
Data C88C (also known as CS 88)
Data C88C: Computational Structures in Data Science is an introduction to programming and computing that covers approximately 2/3 of the content of CS 61A. Many of the same homework, lab, and discussion questions are shared between these two courses.
Data C88C is 3 units (rather than 4), has 2 lectures per week (rather than 3), has 2 hours of section per week (rather than 3), and has fewer total topics and assignments. Students who take Data C88C and want to learn the topics from CS 61A that were omitted can do so by taking CS 47A in a future semester (or just studying on their own), but planning to take CS 47A is never a good plan, since it is a self-paced course with no support.
For the Data Science major and minor, the content in Data C88C is sufficient, but the content in CS 61A is still highly recommended. For the Computer Science major and minor, the additional content in CS 61A is essential. If you are certain that you want to major or minor in Computer Science, CS 61A is the right introductory course.
Students who complete Data C88C can either proceed directly to CS 61B or subsequently take CS 61A, a path that offers a substantial amount of review because of the high topic overlap between the courses. (Review can be very helpful for some students!) However, you cannot take Data C88C for credit after having taken CS 61A.
Course Format
The course includes many events and opportunities for learning: lecture, lab, discussion, office hours, and more. We recommend that you attend all of them.
Lectures & Videos
There are three 50-minute live lectures per week. In addition, there is a video playlist for each lecture. Please watch the video playlist before attending live lecture or section. The videos cover all required content for the course. Live lecture will not cover all course material and will focus on examples (so watch the videos).
Lab
Coming soon…
Discussion
Coming soon…
Office Hours
Office hours are drop-in tutoring sessions in which you can ask questions about the material, receive guidance on assignments, and work with peers and course staff in a small group setting. See the office hour schedule and come by.
Assignments
In addition to programming-based lab assignments, there are programming-based homework assignments and projects.
Homework
Weekly homework assignments let you apply the concepts learned in lecture and section to more challenging problems. Homeworks will typically be released on Fridays and be due the following Thursday.
Details coming soon…
Projects
Projects are larger assignments intended to combine ideas from the course in interesting ways.
You are allowed and encouraged to pair program with a partner. Make sure to alternate roles so that both of you understand the complete results. You may also work alone on all projects, although partners are recommended.
Details coming soon…
Quizzes and Exams
Details coming soon…
We will post an announcement on Ed ahead of each exam with information for students who cannot take the exam.
Exam Study Guides:
- Midterm 1 (to be posted)
- Midterm 2 (to be posted)
- Final (to be posted)
Excused Exams & Incompletes
Student who are unable to take a midterm exam for an approved reason may be excused from the exam. If you are unable to take a midterm, please email cs61a@berkeley.edu before the exam to describe your situation. Reasons that may be approved include: illness, medical complications, travel, and course conflicts.
If a student is excused from a midterm exam, their exam score will be estimated via regression at the end of the course from their final exam score in a way that does not help or hurt their final grade on average. This method, which assigns them the average score on the missed exam among people who received the same or very similar scores on the final, takes into account variability in exam difficulty.
Typically, students will not be excused from the final exam. However, students who cannot take the final exam for an approved reason and who have completed the assignments for the course may request an incomplete by emailing cs61a@berkeley.edu. Students who receive an incomplete grade can complete the course by taking the final exam of a future offering of CS 61A.
Accommodations (DSP and Otherwise)
We will provide appropriate accommodations to all students enrolled in Berkeley’s Disabled Students Program (DSP). To ensure that you receive the appropriate accommodations, have your DSP specialist submit a letter confirming your status and accommodations.
If you’re in the process of being onboarded by DSP, you may be eligible for accommodations. You may also be eligible for accommodations if serious extenuating circumstances should come up during the semester. If you believe you may require accommodations, please email cs61a@berkeley.edu.
Important: If you have an accommodation that involves exams, please ensure that a letter is submitted to Berkeley’s system as soon as possible so that we can plan for your accommodation. We cannot always meet accommodation requests on short notice.
Assignment Extensions
If you need to request an extension, regardless of your DSP status, fill out this form. Submissions to this form will be visible only to the course instructors, and certain Student Support staff members.
Any extension request up to 24 hours will be approved. Any extension request up to 3 days made by a student with a DSP accommodation for assignment extensions will be approved. Any longer extensions require a strong justification and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. There is no penalty for requesting an extension.
Joining CS 61A Late
Work submitted late will not receive credit, even if it is from a student who joined the course late. However, it is possible to submit assignments if you are not enrolled. Therefore, if you would like to take the course but are having enrollment issues, please submit all assignments by their due date.
To request to be added to course platforms so that you can submit, email cs61a@berkeley.edu.
Privacy
All DSP and accommodations-related materials for this course are kept in a repository separate from the rest of the course materials that is visible only to the instructors and selected staff.
For any DSP and accommodations-related communications, please reach out to cs61a@berkeley.edu, which will put you in touch with our student support team. This inbox is only visible to staff members marked with “cs61a@” on the staff page. This inbox will be visible to future members of course staff, so if you ever have a communication that you wish to remain private, let us know and we can delete the email exchange once the conversation is resolved.
Technology
You will need a computer to write code in this class. Professor Lisa Yan wrote a helpful guide about purchasing a laptop for use as a student at UC Berkeley. As mentioned in that guide, the Student Technology Equity Program provides free laptop loans for students.
Textbook
The online textbook for the course is Composing Programs, which was created specifically for this course, based on the classic textbook Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. Readings for each lecture appear in the course schedule. We recommend that you complete the readings before attending lecture.
Past exams appear on the Resources page.
Grading
Details coming soon…
There is no curve; your grade will depend only on how well you do, and not on how well everyone else does. Score thresholds are based on how students performed in previous semesters. Thresholds are not usually adjusted based on student performance and never increased.
In a typical semester, 50-60% of students taking the course for a letter grade will receive a B+ or higher.
Incomplete grades will be granted only for medical or personal emergencies that cause you to miss the final or last part of the course, only for students who have completed the majority of the coursework, and only if work up to the point of the emergency has been satisfactory. If you wish to discuss an incomplete in the course, please contact cs61a@berkeley.edu.
Many students end the course with perfect homework, project, lab, and discussion scores. These parts of the course are not meant to be evaluations, but instead learning tools.
Exam Recovery
It is possible to recover lost points on midterms by showing improvement on the final. Your score for each midterm (as a percentage of the total points) will be at least 90% of your score on the final exam. For example, a student who scored 10/40 on Midterm 1, but scored 37.5/75 (50%) on the final exam would receive an adjusted Midterm 1 score of 50% * 90% = 18/40 points, and so would recover 8 Midterm 1 points in addition to the 10 Midterm 1 points already scored.
Exam recovery only applies to students who take the final exam during finals week. Students who receive an incomplete are not eligible for exam recovery.
Late Policy
If you cannot turn in an assignment on time, you can request an extension. For late work beyond the extended deadline:
- Labs receive no credit.
- Homework receives no credit.
- Projects: Submissions within 48 hours after the deadline will receive 75% of the earned score. Submissions that are 48 hours or more after the deadline will receive no credit.
Citizenship
It is our expectation that all interactions with course staff and other students will demonstrate appropriate respect, consideration, and compassion for others. Please remember to be friendly and thoughtful; our community draws from a wide spectrum of valuable experiences. For further reading, please reference the Berkeley Principles of Community and Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct.
For exceptionally rude or disrespectful behavior toward the course staff or other students, your final grade will be lowered by up to a full letter grade (e.g., from an A- to a B-) at the discretion of the course instructors. You don’t need to be concerned about this policy if you treat other human beings with even a bare minimum of respect and consideration and do not engage in behavior that is actively harmful to others.
Learning Cooperatively
With the obvious exception of exams, we encourage you to discuss course activities with your friends and classmates as you are working on them. You will learn more in this class if you work with others than if you do not. Ask questions, answer questions, and share ideas liberally.
Learning cooperatively is different from sharing answers. You shouldn’t be showing your code to other students or looking at others’ code, except:
- During lab, you can share all you want as long as you’re all learning.
- For a project that allows partners, you can share anything with your partner.
- If you’ve finished a problem already, you can look at others’ code to help them finish.
If you are helping another student, don’t just tell them the answer; they will learn very little and run into trouble on exams. Instead, try to guide them toward discovering the solution on their own by thinking through examples. Problem solving practice is critical to progress in computer science.
Since you’re working collaboratively, keep your project partner informed. If some medical or personal emergency takes you away from the course for an extended period, or if you decide to drop the course for any reason, please don’t just disappear silently! You should inform your project partner, so that nobody is depending on you to do something you can’t finish.
Academic Misconduct
Any students caught collaborating on exams will receive an F in the course. Please don’t be one of these students.
Reading others’ homework or project solution to a problem before you solve that problem on your own will incur point penalties. You are free to discuss the problems with others beforehand, but you must write your own solutions. The exception to this rule is that you may share code with your project partner.
The following is a list of things you should NOT do. This list is not exhaustive, but covers most of the big offenses:
- Do not copy code from any student who is not your partner.
- Do not allow any student other than your partner to copy code from you.
- Do not use AI tools such as Github Copilot or ChatGPT to fill in or correct your code.
- Do not copy solutions from online sources such as Stack Overflow, Pastebin, and public repositories on GitHub.
- Do not read others’ solutions to an assignment before you have completed the assignment
- Do not post your solutions publicly during or after the semester.
If you find a solution online, please submit a link to that solution anonymously. When we find an online solution, we ask the author to remove it. We also record the solution and use it to check for copying. By reporting online solutions, you help keep the course fair for everyone.
In summary, we expect you to hand in your own work, take your own tests, and complete projects with code written only by you and your partner.
Rather than copying someone else’s work, ask for help. You are not alone in this course! The entire staff is here to help you succeed. If you invest the time to learn the material and complete the projects, you won’t need to copy any answers.
A Parting Thought
Grades and penalties aren’t the purpose of this course. We really just want you to learn. The entire staff is very excited to be teaching CS 61A this semester and we’re looking forward to meeting such a large and enthusiastic group of students. We want all of you to be successful here. Welcome to CS 61A!