Yale’s popular CS50 course, a collaboration with Harvard, will not be offered starting fall 2025. This decision comes after a decade of partnership, mainly due to funding issues and a growing computer science faculty.
CS50, officially known as “Introduction to Computing and Programming,” has been a significant course at Yale since 2015. It often attracted hundreds of students, making it the largest class in the computer science department. The course included online lectures and in-person sections led by undergraduate learning assistants (ULAs).
Unfortunately, the financial support that allowed CS50 to thrive ended in June 2024. Ozan Erat, the course’s last instructor at Yale, mentioned that employing ULAs had become too expensive. The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences stepped in to help with costs for a time, but maintaining the course was still challenging.
In recent years, Yale faced various issues, including a ULA strike for better wages, which led to an increase in their hours from 7.5 to 10 per week. Additionally, an AI chatbot, dubbed the “CS50 duck,” was introduced in 2023 to assist alongside the ULAs. While this innovation eased some demands, it also added to the financial burden.
Theodore Kim, the undergraduate studies director in computer science, explained that the end of CS50 reflects the department’s growth and diversity. With more faculty members, Yale can now offer specialized introductory courses, catering to various interests. Some of these new courses include “Python for Humanities and Social Sciences” and “AI for Future Presidents.”
For those still interested, CS50’s materials are available online for free here. Moreover, an enhanced version of “Introduction to Programming” will be offered in fall and spring.
However, there are concerns that losing CS50 might limit opportunities for underrepresented students in computer science. Former student Wini Aboyure expressed worries about the potential loss of diversity in the field.
As Yale transitions to these new offerings, David Malan, who teaches CS50 at Harvard, plans to embark on a new collaboration with the University of Oxford. He reflects positively on the Yale partnership, considering it a model of educational collaboration.
The Yale Computer Science Department was established in 1969, and while CS50 has ended, the department is evolving to meet the needs of today’s students.
