Skip to content
TrustMyCourse
TrustMyCourse
For course creators

Independent verification for online courses.

ProgrammingSelf-pacedBeginner

CS50's Introduction to Computer Science

by Harvard University (CS50)Taught by David J. Malan

Verification record

Verification identifier TMC-2026-00001

Verifiedby TrustMyCourse
Method
Direct course review
Verified
Re-check due
Price
Free
Level
Beginner
Format
Self-paced
Language
English
Modules
9

What we found

TrustMyCourse opened the published course directly and compared the advertised week structure against the material delivered. Week 1 provided the lecture in video and audio, notes, slides, source code, six supplementary shorts, a section and a problem set, all reachable without payment or an account. Certificates sold through edX are presented separately from the free course and are not required to take it. No outcome, income or employment guarantee appears in the public material.

View CS50's Introduction to Computer Science on Harvard University (CS50), opens the provider’s website

on cs50.harvard.edu

You will continue to Harvard University (CS50). TrustMyCourse does not sell this course.

See what was checked
  • Curriculum matches the offerChecked
  • Creator identityChecked
  • Access and deliveryChecked
  • Advertised claimsChecked
  • Pricing and termsChecked
  • Support and updatesNot applicable

TrustMyCourse accessed the course directly and compared the delivered material with its public offer.

Reviewer access: Confirmed

Read what each check covers

Harvard's introductory computer science course, taught through eleven weeks that begin in Scratch and move into C, then Python, SQL and web development with Flask. It spends unusually long on what happens underneath a program, covering arrays, memory, pointers and data structures, before reaching higher-level languages, and ends with a self-directed final project. The course materials are free; a certificate is a separate paid option through edX.

Who it is for

Beginners with no programming background who want a broad foundation rather than a single language or framework.

Recorded from the provider’s stated audience and the level of the material reviewed.

The review

What was checked

Verified against the course and public offer as they stood on . Verification describes what was reviewed on that date, not every later version of it.

Read the verification standards

  • Curriculum matches the offer

    Checked

    The modules, lessons and materials advertised on the sales page are the ones actually delivered inside the course.

    Advertised week list matched the materials served on the week pages inspected.

  • Creator identity

    Checked

    The person or company selling the course is identifiable and confirmed to control the course being verified.

    Published on the provider’s own domain.

  • Access and delivery

    Checked

    The stated platform, access method and access duration work as described for a paying learner.

  • Advertised claims

    Checked

    Public marketing is checked for outcome guarantees the course cannot support, such as promised income, results or employment.

  • Pricing and terms

    Checked

    The advertised price, billing terms, additional purchases and refund policy are stated clearly and consistently.

    Free to take; edX certificates and Harvard Extension credit are sold separately and clearly separated.

  • Support and updates

    Not applicable

    Any promised feedback, community access or update schedule is described accurately on the sales page.

What this verification does not guarantee

  • Whether you will earn money, find work or reach any particular result
  • Whether a course is the right choice for your situation
  • Teaching quality, or the personal opinions of previous buyers
  • Anything a creator changes between scheduled re-checks

TrustMyCourse does not sell this course, does not rank it against others, and publishes no rating or score for it.

The course

Course details

Provider
Harvard University (CS50)
Price
Free
Level
Beginner
Format
Self-paced
Language
English
Access
Free access to all course materials online, with no enrolment deadline

Listed in

What the course covers

Summarised by TrustMyCourse from the material reviewed. Wording is our own, not the provider’s.

  1. Computational thinking and Scratch

    Week 0 introduces the ideas the rest of the course builds on using a block-based language, so no syntax is in the way.

  2. C, and working close to the machine

    Weeks 1 and 2 move to C and arrays, where the language stops hiding how data is laid out.

  3. Algorithms, memory and data structures

    Weeks 3 to 5 cover searching and sorting, pointers and dynamic memory, then linked lists, hash tables and tries.

  4. Python

    Week 6 revisits earlier problems in a higher-level language, making the trade-off against C explicit.

  5. Data and SQL

    Week 7 covers relational databases and querying, including how data is modelled rather than only how it is read.

  6. Artificial intelligence

    A dedicated unit on artificial intelligence, sitting between the SQL and web development weeks.

  7. HTML, CSS and JavaScript

    Week 8 introduces the front end: document structure, styling and behaviour in the browser.

  8. Flask and dynamic web applications

    Week 9 puts the earlier Python and SQL work behind a web application that serves real requests.

  9. Final project

    A self-directed project of the learner's own design, which is the course's capstone requirement.

Provider

Who created this course

Harvard University (CS50)

Taught by David J. Malan

The computer science course team at Harvard University, which publishes CS50 course materials free of charge online.

Harvard University (CS50) website

Any TrustMyCourse verification applies to the course on this page, not to the provider as a whole and not to its other courses. TrustMyCourse does not endorse Harvard University (CS50).

More in this category

More programming courses

Browse the full category

  • VerifiedVerification reference TMC-2026-00006

    Harvard University (CS50)

    Artificial Intelligence

    CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python

    Harvard's AI course, published free as OpenCourseWare. Seven lecture topics work through search, knowledge representation, uncertainty, optimisation, machine learning, neural networks and language, with Python projects attached to each. It is explicitly a follow-on rather than a first course: the stated prerequisite is CS50x or roughly a year of Python experience, and the material assumes the learner can already write and debug their own programs.

    Price
    Free
    Level
    Intermediate
    Format
    Self-paced

    See the verification record

    Reviewed
    Re-check

  • VerifiedVerification reference TMC-2026-00030

    Shopify Academy

    Ecommerce

    Developing on Shopify

    An hour of developer-facing training on building for the Shopify platform, as distinct from the courses aimed at merchants. Free and open without an account.

    Price
    Free
    Level
    Intermediate
    Format
    Self-paced

    See the verification record

    Reviewed
    Re-check

  • VerifiedVerification reference TMC-2026-00010

    web.dev

    Programming

    Learn Accessibility

    An accessibility course covering how to make websites and web applications usable by more people. Part of the web.dev Learn series, published free by Google as written modules with no account required.

    Price
    Free
    Level
    All levels
    Format
    Self-paced

    See the verification record

    Reviewed
    Re-check