Which programming class should I take?

UW offers many excellent introductory programming classes. These options include CSE 140, CSE 142, CSE 143, CSE 143X, and AMath 301. Different classes are best for different people — no one class is better than the others. This webpage will help you decide among them.

1. Do you already know how to program?
   If you are confident in your ability to write small programs, you would be bored or would waste your time in CSE 140. CSE 140 is intended for beginners.
   • If you know how to program in Java: CSE 143
   • If you know how to program, but not in Java: CSE 143X
   • If you know how to program, but want to learn Python: See The Python Tutorial (for Python 2 or Python 3), Learn Python The Hard Way (which should really be titled, "Learn Python by programming in it"), and the other recommended readings and self-study resources.
2. What programming language do you want to learn?
   • If you want to learn Java, which is the #1 programming language in the world and is used throughout the CSE curriculum: CSE 142
   • If you want to learn Python, which is a fun, easy-to-use language that is just as powerful as Java and is widely used in the sciences: CSE 140
   • If you want to learn Python and Java: CSE 140 plus its optional Java seminar CSE 190D, or CSE 142 plus its optional non-graded Python seminar
   • If you want to learn MATLAB for solving differential equations: AMath 301
   If you don't care, proceed to the next question.
3. What style of problem motivates you?
   • If you are more motivated by puzzles and games: CSE 142
   • If you are more motivated by problems drawn from engineering, the physical sciences, and the social sciences: CSE 140
   • If you want to solve differential equations: AMath 301
   If you don't care, proceed to the next question.
4. What are your schedule constraints?
   • CSE 142 is taught every quarter at multiple times, so it offers more scheduling flexibility.
   • CSE 140 is taught less frequently.

Some people wish to take CSE 140 because they have already taken CSE 142 and CSE 143 but their grades were not high enough to get into the CSE major. This is not a good strategy. If you do exceptionally well in CSE 140, that might affect the admissions committee's decision somewhat, but we have no evidence that that has happened in the past, and your time is likely better spent finding a major for which you are better-suited.

Substituting CSE 140 for other classes

Some departments/classes have AMath 301 or CSE 142 as requirements/electives/prerequisites. Many departments and instructors are accommodating about permitting an exception to these requirements if you have taken CSE 140, but of course you will have to explicitly request such permission. If the prerequisite exists because of specific skills, such as a need for knowledge of Java, MATLAB, or differential equations, then CSE 140 cannot substitute. If the prerequisite exists because students should have a general knowledge of computational thinking and programming, then the substitution makes sense.

What programming class should I take after CSE 140?

What programming class should you take after CSE 140? You don't have to take any more programming classes. After CSE 140, you will have the ability to write small programs to solve real-world data analysis and transformation problems. You will also know enough to use resources such as books and websites to learn more. But, you may find that you enjoy programming so much that you want to progress to the next level. Or, you may want to solve larger and more challenging problems. Here are some options:

• CSE 142 is an introduction to programming concepts and the Java language, assuming no programming background. The conceptual material is similar (but not identical) to CSE 140, though the presentation and the application domain is different. Because of the overlap in topics, a student who excelled in one of the two classes may be bored taking the second one, so a different class that teaches new material would be a better use of time. But some graduates of CSE 140 may benefit from the fact that CSE 142 takes a slow pace, teaches a different programming language, and has a different pedagogical style.
• CSE 143 assumes knowledge of CSE 142 (in particular, familiarity with Java), but it has no official prerequisites — any student can take it without having taken CSE 142. It is recommended for students who took both CSE 140 and the one-credit add-on Java seminar CSE 190D — that seminar is designed explicitly to help CSE 140 graduates transition painlessly into CSE 143. CSE 143 is also a possibility for a student who did well in CSE 140 and is willing to spend extra effort at the beginning of the quarter to come up to speed on Java.
• CSE 143X covers the material of CSE 142 and CSE 143 in a single quarter. Students are assumed to be familiar with programming concepts, though not necessarily with Java. It is currently offered in the autumn quarter.
• HCDE 310 assumes CSE140 or CSE 142 as a prerequisite. It shows you how to use Python to process web data and create Internet mashups. You address more ambitious design problems than in CSE 140, and create prototypes of useful services. The class is officially open only to HCDE majors, but if you have taken CSE 140, you can petition to get in and will be admitted.
• UW Professional and Continuing Education offers a Certificate in Python Programming, consisting of three classes (you can take as many or as few as you like): Programming in Python, Internet Programming in Python, and System Development with Python.

Self-study

The best way to learn to program is to do it! When you encounter a task that could be done via programming, do it that way even if that takes you a little while longer. You will get better the more practice you get. Try to get feedback on your programming — either from thoughtful introspection or from a more expert programmer — since that is the best way to improve.

Books are useful, but only if you then put the ideas into practice. That said, you should return to the resources listed on the syllabus, reading the parts that weren't assigned (or that you didn't read) during the quarter. Some other books you might find useful are Learn Python The Hard Way (which should really be titled, "Learn Python by programming in it"), and Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python (for Python 2 or Python 3).

In addition to the UW PCE courses, there are online courses available from Software Carpentry, edX (you have to search for "6.00x"), and elsewhere.