15-110 Principles of Computing

10 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Principles of Computing is an introductory computer science course for students with no prior experience in computer science or programming. We begin with the fundamentals of programming in Python, including variables and data, functions, conditionals, loops, basic data structures, testing, and debugging. We then build up to modern advanced computer science techniques including AI-assisted programming, data analysis, machine learning, and simulation. This is followed by a unit on algorithms where we compare a range of search algorithms based on functionality, input assumptions, efficiency, data structure use, and parallelism. In parallel with these units we will hold many one-off lectures on demystifying how computers work and ethics in the field of computer science.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Spring 2027, Fall 2026, Summer 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025

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