CS 3650 — Computer Systems
4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureusually offered: fall, springtypical days: M/WBostonTraditional
Introduces the basic design of computing systems, computer operating systems, and assembly language using a RISC architecture. Describes caches and virtual memory. Covers the interface between assembly language and high-level languages, including call frames and pointers. Covers the use of system calls and systems programming to show the interaction with the operating system. Covers the basic structures of an operating system, including application interfaces, processes, threads, synchronization, interprocess communication, deadlock, memory management, file systems, and input/output control.
Prerequisites
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 3 | 323 | 342 | 94% | 6.3 |
| Spring 2024 | 3 | 292 | 342 | 85% | 16.7 |
| Fall 2024 | 3 | 360 | 375 | 96% | 5.0 |
| Spring 2025 | 4 | 341 | 373 | 91% | 8.0 |
| Summer A 2025 | 1 | 18 | 60 | 30% | 42.0 |
| Fall 2025 | 3 | 310 | 324 | 96% | 4.7 |
| Spring 2026 | 3 | 290 | 354 | 82% | 21.3 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 52% · T 36% · W 52% · Th 45% · F 34%
Common patterns: MWR (39% of sections), TF (26% of sections), MW (11% of sections), T (10% of sections), F (8% of sections), R (5% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Fall
- Ferdinand Vesely (68% of students) · reviews
- Alden Jackson (13% of students) · reviews
- John Park (11% of students) · reviews
- Ziming Zhao (7% of students) · reviews
Spring
- Alden Jackson (31% of students) · reviews
- Peter Desnoyers (22% of students) · reviews
- Ferdinand Vesely (19% of students) · reviews
- Gene Cooperman (17% of students) · reviews
Summer A
- Benjamin Weintraub (100% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Unlocks
CS 4700, CS 4730, CS 6640, CY 3740, EECE 4534, EECE 5640, EECE 5641, EECE 5699, ME 3460
Courses that list CS 3650 in their prerequisites.
Links
Official catalog (CS course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All CS courses · Plan it at numap.app