CS 3950 — Introduction to Computer Science Research
2 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureusually offered: fall, springBostonSeattle, WATraditional
Introduces students to research in the fields of computer science, information science, data science, and cybersecurity. Explores how the scientific method is applied to these fields and covers the breadth of subareas of specialty that exist. Offers students an opportunity to practice how to locate and read scientific literature in different subareas. Also offers students an overview of graduate education in these fields.
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 1 | 15 | 19 | 79% | 4.0 |
| Spring 2024 | 1 | 21 | 30 | 70% | 9.0 |
| Fall 2024 | 1 | 20 | 35 | 57% | 15.0 |
| Spring 2025 | 1 | 36 | 40 | 90% | 4.0 |
| Fall 2025 | 2 | 44 | 65 | 68% | 10.5 |
| Spring 2026 | 1 | 40 | 40 | 100% | 0.0 |
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 14% · T 11% · W 49% · Th 19% · F 12%
Common patterns: W (43% of sections), R (19% of sections), F (12% of sections), T (11% of sections), M (9% of sections), MW (6% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Fall
- Ariel Hamlin (68% of students) · reviews
- Aanjhan Ranganathan (19% of students) · reviews
- Benjamin Hescott (13% of students) · reviews
Spring
- Ariel Hamlin (78% of students) · reviews
- Olga Vitek (22% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Unlocks
Courses that list CS 3950 in their prerequisites.
Links
Official catalog (CS course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All CS courses · Plan it at numap.app
More
{
"retired": true,
"retiredSince": "2026-09-03"
}