<p>I am curious to know what upper division CSE courses are like. Is it more coding, or is there much more to it then just coding?</p>
<p>What kind of a question is this? Of course there’s more to CSE courses than just coding…I mean seriously, look at the required CSE upper division classes:</p>
<p>CSE 100: Advanced Data Structures and Algorithms
CSE 101: Algorithms and Analysis
CSE 105: Theory of Computation
CSE 110: Software Engineering
CSE 120: Operating Systems
CSE 130: Programming Languages
CSE 131: Compilers
CSE 140: Digital Design
CSE 141: Computer Architecture</p>
<p>All of these topics are very theoretical, and how much coding you have to do obviously ends up depending on who you take it with. But regardless, the theory is what defines the class, and programming assignments are generally only used to show students several practical applications of the theory. That’s not to say you won’t code ever again; CSE 100, 110, 120, 130, 131, and 141 will end up requiring quite a bit of coding no matter who you take it with, but the goals of the programming assignments are quite different due to the differences in the courses.</p>
<p>Alright let me word this better, how different are upper division CSE courses compared lower division CSE courses?</p>
<p>Different in terms of what? </p>
<p>From what I remember, in CSE 11 & 12 you learn basic data structures, which is expanded upon greatly in CSE 100. You also learn about good coding practices and object oriented design, which is expanded upon greatly in CSE 110. In CSE 20 and 21, you learn a bit of the math behind computational theory and algorithms (discrete math, set theory, graph theory, and big O notation), which is expanded upon greatly in CSE 101 and CSE 105. In CSE 30, you learn computer organization, which is expanded upon greatly in CSE 141. You also learn assembly, an understanding of which is crucial for CSE 131. So, arguably, the material you learn is quite similar in many of the upper division CSE classes as the lower division ones (aside from CSE 120, 130, and 140, which don’t really have any lower division analogs). </p>
<p>Does this help?</p>