Computer Science 50 enrolled 619 students this semester. Its peer introductory courses in the School of Engineering Sciences, Engineering Sciences 1, Engineering Sciences 50, and Applied Math 50—all taught last spring—had 27, 54, and 107 students, respectively.

“I think CS50 is absolutely exceptional in its growth,” says Eric Mazur, area dean for Applied Physics. He is currently designing a new introductory course in Applied Physics, Applied Physics 50, to be offered next fall. “It’s probably a tough act to follow for physics, but I certainly hope that we can follow some of that approach.”

Mazur is not the only one eyeing the CS50 model.

“We would love to see ES1 grow to gain the popularity that CS50 has achieved,” says ES1 Professor Sujata K. Bhatia.

But professors also acknowledge that different disciplines face unique challenges—from the need for lab space to common misconceptions about their fields—that complicate universal growth on the scale of CS50.

“We hope we get to CS50 fame and enrollment level,” says Marko Loncar, professor of ES50. “On the other hand, it’s a different type of beast,” he says. “Everybody uses computers today ... in my experience, people do not know exactly what electrical engineering is today.”

Even as CS50 continues to pull away from other introductory courses in enrollment figures—enrollment jumped from 494 last fall—its growth trends are not exclusive. Every introductory SEAS course has grown in the last two years, with ES53 doubling and ES50 nearly tripling in size.

These are promising patterns for SEAS, which is constantly on the lookout for new concentrators. But as professors scramble to adjust, many look to CS50 for inspiration.

CS50: SEAS’ SUPERSTAR

CS50’s explosive growth is unprecedented in SEAS. Professors and students alike attribute the course’s success to an enthusiastic teaching staff and engaging lectures, homework assignments that are relevant to students, and a strong sense of community.

In the 2010-2011 academic year, the course boasted the highest overall Q score among SEAS intro-level courses—4.23 out of 5—despite also having the highest workload rating, at 4.16 out of 5.

Many students see an opportunity in CS50 to develop skills that apply directly to their lives.

Matthew W. Yarri ’14 says that ES50, for example, focuses on engineering skills more commonly associated with the pre-digital era.

“Today, you would just buy a computer chip and program it using the type of knowledge you would have acquired in CS50,” Yarri says.

In fact, the relevance of computers in today’s society may have fueled much of CS50’s allure, says Heather V. Hawkes ’13, who took CS50 and was also a teaching fellow in ES50.