ASU CSE 110: Principles of Programming
CSE 110 is ASU's first programming course, teaching problem solving and structured programming in Java: variables, control flow, methods, arrays, and intro object-oriented concepts. It's the gateway for CS, software engineering, and informatics majors, and one of the most-taken courses on ASU Online.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Arizona State University. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
Programming is a skill course pretending to be a content course: students who watch lectures but write little code pass the early labs and then collapse at the exams, which require writing and tracing code cold. In the 7.5-week online sessions the pace doubles, and falling one week behind on assignments is the classic failure path.
What you'll cover
- • Variables, data types, and expressions
- • Conditionals and loops
- • Methods and parameter passing
- • Arrays
- • Intro to objects and classes in Java
- • Debugging and program design
The CSE 110 study guide
How to study for ASU CSE 110, step by step.
- 1
Write code every day from week one
CSE 110 is a skill course: daily 30-45 minute coding sessions are the single biggest predictor of passing. Watching lectures without writing Java builds confidence the exams will dismantle.
- 2
Trace code by hand, not just in the IDE
Exams ask you to predict output and write Java on paper. Practice tracing loops, method calls, and array operations with pencil, since the compiler won't be there to catch you.
- 3
Type out every lecture example yourself
Don't copy-paste. Retyping examples, breaking them, and fixing them is how syntax becomes automatic and how you learn what error messages actually mean.
- 4
Match the pace of your session format
In ASU Online's 7.5-week sessions everything moves at double speed, and falling one week behind on labs is the classic failure path. Front-run assignment deadlines by at least two days.
- 5
Do extra problems before each exam
Work problems you haven't seen, like textbook exercises and outside practice sets, under time pressure. The exam skill is writing correct code cold, and only unfamiliar problems build it.
Today
Today's CSE 110 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for CSE 110. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is CSE 110 at ASU hard?
It's hard for students who don't practice. The concepts are introductory, but exams require writing and tracing Java by hand, which only daily coding builds. Students who code a little every day pass comfortably; binge-watchers of lectures don't.
What language does ASU CSE 110 use?
Java. The course covers problem solving, algorithm design, and structured programming with variables, loops, methods, arrays, and an introduction to objects.
Do I need programming experience before CSE 110?
No, it assumes none. ASU does suggest college-algebra readiness (MAT 117 level), since the problem-solving style leans on algebraic thinking even though the math itself is light.
More ASU courses
CSE 205: Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures
CSE 205 follows CSE 110, deepening Java with object-oriented design (inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces) plus core data structures like lists, stacks, queues, and recursion. It's the course that determines whether students continue smoothly into the CS major's core.
CSE 230: Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming
CSE 230 takes ASU CS majors below the high-level language for the first time: number representation, MIPS assembly programming, how the processor actually executes instructions, and the basics of datapath and pipelining. It's a core requirement that shows students what their Java from CSE 110 and 205 compiles down to.
CSE 240: Introduction to Programming Languages
CSE 240 surveys programming-language paradigms after the Java sequence: C and C++ for imperative programming with pointers and manual memory, Scheme for functional programming, and Prolog for logic programming. It's a core CS requirement designed to break students out of the one-language thinking CSE 110 and 205 built.