UCLA is the single most applied-to university in the country — 173,374 applications for Fall 2025 alone. Its intro CS sequence is C++-heavy from day one, a different flavor from Python-first schools. Here's the real progression, and where to build each skill yourself.
STEP 1
Intro to Computer Science I
CS 31 · Introduction to Computer Science I
C++Visual C++ / XcodeGNU/Linux compiler environment
Unlike Python-first schools, UCLA starts students directly in C++. The course moves through several graded programming projects alongside zyBook readings and exercises.
Signature assignment: an early project has students intentionally break a working C++ program — introducing both logic errors and compile errors on purpose — to learn what each failure mode actually looks like before writing their own programs from scratch.
Start the C++ cheat sheet →
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STEP 2
Intro to Computer Science II
CS 32 · Introduction to Computer Science II (Data Structures)
C++Compiler + debugger
Where the course shifts from "programs" to "software" — larger object-oriented programs built around real data structures: stacks, queues, lists, trees, graphs, plus searching, sorting, and analyzing algorithm efficiency.
Signature assignment: multi-file programs combining data abstraction with generic programming — the same OOP muscles the C++ cheat sheet's classes and templates sections above are built to prepare you for.
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STEP 3
Software Construction
CS 35L · Software Construction
Shell scriptingPythonGNU/Linux (SEASnet servers)Git
The pivot away from "just C++" — this course is about the real tools professional software is built with: version control, the Unix shell, and scripting languages, on UCLA's own Linux servers.
Signature assignments:
- Shell scripting and file manipulation on Linux
- Python and Lisp scripting exercises
- Git repository organization and change management
- Low-level refactoring and performance work
- A major final project with source code + a written report
Start the Python cheat sheet →