- Match the curricular standards of the [CS 2013](CURRICULAR_GUIDELINES.md): Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Science
**Duration**. It is possible to finish within about 2 years if you plan carefully and devote roughly 20 hours/week to your studies. Learners can use [this spread
](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bkUU90y4rKYQHwY5AR2iX6iiPTrPEsYs75GkCAkrgm4/copy) to estimate their end date. Make a copy and input your start date and expected hours per week in the `Timeline` sheet. As you work through courses you can enter your actual course completion dates in the `Curriculum Data` sheet and get updated completion estimates.
Note that both [Coursera](https://www.coursera.support/s/article/209819033-Apply-for-Financial-Aid-or-a-Scholarship?language=en_US) and [edX](https://courses.edx.org/financial-assistance/) offer financial aid.
**Process**. Students can work through the curriculum alone or in groups, in order or out of order.
- We recommend doing all courses in Core CS, only skipping a course when you are certain that you've already learned the material previously.
- For simplicity, we recommend working through courses (especially Core CS) in order from top to bottom, as they have already been [topologically sorted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topological_sorting) by their prerequisites.
- Courses in Advanced CS are electives. Choose one subject (e.g. Advanced programming) you want to become an expert in and take all the courses under that heading. You can also create your own custom subject, but we recommend getting validation from the community on the subject you choose.
- We have a discord server! [](https://discord.gg/wuytwK5s9h) This should be your first stop to talk with other OSSU students. Why don't you introduce yourself right now? [Join the OSSU Discord](https://discord.gg/wuytwK5s9h)
- You can also interact through GitHub issues. If there is a problem with a course, or a change needs to be made to the curriculum, this is the place to start the conversation. Read more [here](CONTRIBUTING.md).
- Add **Open Source Society University** to your [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/school/11272443/) profile!
- Note: There is an unmaintained and deprecated firebase app that you might find when searching OSSU. You can safely ignore it. Read more in the [FAQ](./FAQ.md#why-is-the-firebase-ossu-app-different-or-broken).
- [Core CS](#core-cs) assumes the student has already taken [high school math](https://github.com/ossu/computer-science/blob/master/FAQ.md#how-can-i-review-the-math-prerequisites), including algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus.
If you've never written a for-loop, or don't know what a string is in programming, start here. This course is self-paced, allowing you to adjust the number of hours you spend per week to meet your needs.
This course will introduce you to the world of computer science. Students who have been introduced to programming, either from the courses above or through study elsewhere, should take this course for a flavor of the material to come. If you finish the course wanting more, Computer Science is likely for you!
The How to Code courses are based on the textbook [How to Design Programs](https://htdp.org/2003-09-26/). The First Edition is available for free online and includes problem sets and solutions. Students are encouraged to do these assignments.
[How to Code - Complex Data](https://www.edx.org/course/how-to-code-complex-data) | 6 weeks | 8-10 hours/week | How to Code: Simple Data | [chat](https://discord.gg/kczJzpm)
Discrete math (Math for CS) is a prerequisite and closely related to the study of algorithms and data structures. Calculus both prepares students for discrete math and helps students develop mathematical maturity.
[Calculus 1A: Differentiation](https://openlearninglibrary.mit.edu/courses/course-v1:MITx+18.01.1x+2T2019/about) ([alt](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-01sc-single-variable-calculus-fall-2010/index.htm)) | 13 weeks | 6-10 hours/week | The alternate covers this and the following 2 courses | [high school math](FAQ.md#how-can-i-review-the-math-prerequisites) | [chat](https://discord.gg/mPCt45F)
[Mathematics for Computer Science](https://openlearninglibrary.mit.edu/courses/course-v1:OCW+6.042J+2T2019/about) ([alt](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-042j-mathematics-for-computer-science-fall-2010/)) | 13 weeks | 5 hours/week | An alternate version with solutions to the problem sets is [here](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-042j-mathematics-for-computer-science-fall-2005/assignments/). | Calculus 1C | [chat](https://discord.gg/EuTzNbF)
Understanding theory is important, but you will also be expected to create programs. There are a number of tools that are widely used to make that process easier. Learn them now to ease your future work writing programs.
[Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: From Nand to Tetris](https://www.coursera.org/learn/build-a-computer) ([alt](https://www.nand2tetris.org/)) | 6 weeks | 7-13 hours/week | - | C-like programming language | [chat](https://discord.gg/vxB2DRV)
[Build a Modern Computer from First Principles: Nand to Tetris Part II ](https://www.coursera.org/learn/nand2tetris2) | 6 weeks | 12-18 hours/week | - | one of [these programming languages](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/2046800/35426340-f6ce6358-026a-11e8-8bbb-4e95ac36b1d7.png), From Nand to Tetris Part I | [chat](https://discord.gg/AsUXcPu)
[Divide and Conquer, Sorting and Searching, and Randomized Algorithms](https://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-divide-conquer) | 4 weeks | 4-8 hours/week | any programming language, Mathematics for Computer Science | [chat](https://discord.gg/mKRS7tY)
[Graph Search, Shortest Paths, and Data Structures](https://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-graphs-data-structures) | 4 weeks | 4-8 hours/week | Divide and Conquer, Sorting and Searching, and Randomized Algorithms | [chat](https://discord.gg/Qstqe4t)
[Greedy Algorithms, Minimum Spanning Trees, and Dynamic Programming](https://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-greedy) | 4 weeks | 4-8 hours/week | Graph Search, Shortest Paths, and Data Structures | [chat](https://discord.gg/dWVvjuz)
[Shortest Paths Revisited, NP-Complete Problems and What To Do About Them](https://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-npcomplete) | 4 weeks | 4-8 hours/week | Greedy Algorithms, Minimum Spanning Trees, and Dynamic Programming | [chat](https://discord.gg/dYuY78u)
[Computer Graphics](https://www.edx.org/course/computer-graphics-2)| 6 weeks | 12 hours/week | C++ or Java, linear algebra | [chat](https://discord.gg/68WqMNV)
[Software Engineering: Introduction](https://www.edx.org/course/software-engineering-introduction) | 6 weeks | 8-10 hours/week | Core Programming, and a [sizable project](FAQ.md#why-require-experience-with-a-sizable-project-before-the-Software-Engineering-courses) | [chat](https://discord.gg/5Qtcwtz)
(*) book by Blackburn, Bos, Striegnitz (compiled from [source](https://github.com/LearnPrologNow/lpn), redistributed under [CC license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
[Essence of Linear Algebra](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2xVFitgF8hE_ab) | - | - | [high school math](FAQ.md#how-can-i-review-the-math-prerequisites) | [chat](https://discord.gg/m6wHbP6)
After you've gotten through all of Core CS and the parts of Advanced CS relevant to you, you should think about a problem that you can solve using the knowledge you've acquired.
Not only does real project work look great on a resume, but the project will also validate and consolidate your knowledge.
You can create something entirely new, or you can find an existing project that needs help via websites like
Students who would like more guidance in creating a project may choose to use a series of project oriented courses. Here is a sample of options (many more are available, at this point you should be capable of identifying a series that is interesting and relevant to you):
[](https://github.com/ossu/computer-science)
- Markdown: `[](https://github.com/ossu/computer-science)`
- HTML: `<a href="https://github.com/ossu/computer-science"><img alt="Open Source Society University - Computer Science" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/OSSU-computer--science-blue.svg"></a>`
- Use our [community](#community) channels to announce it to your fellow students.
The final project evaluation has a second purpose: to evaluate whether OSSU,
through its community and curriculum, is successful in its mission to guide independent learners in obtaining a world-class computer science education.
After completing the requirements of the curriculum above, you will have completed the equivalent of a full bachelor's degree in Computer Science. Congratulations!
+ Explore the **actor model** through [Elixir](https://elixir-lang.org/), a new functional programming language for the web based on the battle-tested Erlang Virtual Machine!
+ Explore **borrowing and lifetimes** through [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/), a systems language which achieves memory- and thread-safety without a garbage collector!
+ Explore **dependent type systems** through [Idris](https://www.idris-lang.org/), a new Haskell-inspired language with unprecedented support for type-driven development.
The intention of this board is to provide our students a way to track their progress, and also the ability to show their progress through a public page for friends, family, employers, etc.
