Cornell study guides, course by course
Cornell's intro STEM gateways run large and rigorous: prelims (Cornell's name for midterms) are typically given in the evening, span the whole class, and are often curved to a median. The CS sequence (CS 1110 → 2110 → 2800 → 3110) and the engineering math/physics/chem cluster set a fast pace, while big lecture courses like ECON 1110 and PSYCH 1101 are gentler but still prelim-driven — so steady weekly preparation, not pre-prelim cramming, is what carries grades here.
Cornell courses use a subject abbreviation plus a four-digit number — CS 2110, MATH 1920, CHEM 2070 — where the first digit signals level (1000s are introductory, 2000s sophomore-level). Engineering and Arts & Sciences sometimes cross-list the same intro under different codes (CS 2110 is also ENGRD 2110), so check your degree audit for the exact one your program counts.
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CS 1110 — Introduction to Computing: A Design and Development Perspective
CS 1110 is Cornell's Python-based first programming course — variables and types, functions, conditionals and loops, objects and classes, recursion, and testing — taken by intended CS majors and a large non-major population alike. It leads into CS 2110 for those continuing in the major.
CS 2110 — Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures
CS 2110 is Cornell's second programming course, taught in Java (cross-listed as ENGRD 2110) — object-oriented design, data structures (lists, trees, hash tables, graphs), recursion, and an introduction to algorithmic analysis. It's the gateway most CS and engineering students name as the major's first real workload jump.
CS 2800 — Discrete Structures
CS 2800 is Cornell's discrete mathematics course for CS majors — logic and proof, induction, sets, functions and relations, combinatorics, graph theory, basic probability, and finite-state machines. It's the bridge from coding to the mathematical reasoning the upper-level theory courses assume.
CS 3110 — Data Structures and Functional Programming
CS 3110 is Cornell's famous functional-programming and data-structures course, taught in OCaml — immutability, recursion, higher-order functions, modules and functors, formal specification and verification, and reasoning about correctness and complexity. It's a required CS core course and a notorious pace step-up after CS 2110.
CS 4820 — Introduction to Analysis of Algorithms
CS 4820 is Cornell's upper-level algorithms course — greedy algorithms, divide and conquer, dynamic programming, network flow, and NP-completeness and reductions — with a heavy emphasis on proving correctness and analyzing complexity. It's a required CS core course and a capstone of the theory sequence.
CS 4780 — Introduction to Machine Learning
CS 4780 is Cornell's introductory machine learning course — supervised learning, linear and logistic regression, support vector machines, kernels, decision trees and ensembles, neural network basics, and the underlying probability and optimization. It's a popular upper-level elective with substantial math prerequisites.
Mathematics
MATH 1110 — Calculus I
MATH 1110 is Cornell's standard Calculus I — limits, derivatives, applications of differentiation, and an introduction to integration — taken by students across the sciences, economics, and pre-health tracks. It's the entry to the calculus sequence for those not on the engineering math track.
MATH 1120 — Calculus II
MATH 1120 continues Cornell's standard calculus sequence — integration techniques, applications of integrals, sequences and series, and an introduction to parametric and polar topics. It follows MATH 1110 for science, economics, and pre-health students.
MATH 1910 — Calculus for Engineers
MATH 1910 is Cornell's first engineering calculus course — single-variable differentiation and integration with an emphasis on applications, plus an introduction to infinite series and differential equations. It's a required gateway for the College of Engineering, faster-paced than the standard MATH 1110/1120 track.
MATH 1920 — Multivariable Calculus for Engineers
MATH 1920 is Cornell's multivariable calculus course for engineers — vectors and geometry of space, partial derivatives, multiple integrals, and vector calculus including line and surface integrals and the theorems of Green, Stokes, and the divergence theorem. It follows MATH 1910 in the engineering sequence.
MATH 2940 — Linear Algebra for Engineers
MATH 2940 is Cornell's linear algebra course for engineers — systems of linear equations, matrices, vector spaces, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, orthogonality, and applications including differential equations. It's a required engineering course usually taken alongside or after the calculus sequence.
Chemistry
CHEM 2070 — General Chemistry I
CHEM 2070 is Cornell's first general chemistry course — stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure, bonding, thermochemistry, gases, and intermolecular forces — required for engineering, science, and pre-health tracks, with a lab component and curved evening prelims.
CHEM 2080 — General Chemistry II
CHEM 2080 continues Cornell's general chemistry sequence — chemical kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry — following CHEM 2070, with the same lab component and curved evening-prelim format.
Physics
PHYS 1112 — Physics I: Mechanics and Heat
PHYS 1112 is Cornell's calculus-based introductory mechanics course — kinematics, Newton's laws, energy, momentum, rotation, and an introduction to thermodynamics — required for engineering and physical science majors, with labs and the curved evening-prelim format.
PHYS 2213 — Physics II: Electromagnetism
PHYS 2213 is Cornell's calculus-based electromagnetism course — electric fields and potential, Gauss's law, capacitance, circuits, magnetic fields, induction, and an introduction to electromagnetic waves — following PHYS 1112 for engineering and physical science majors.
Biology
Economics
ECON 1110 — Introductory Microeconomics
ECON 1110 is Cornell's introductory microeconomics course — supply and demand, elasticity, consumer and producer behavior, market structures, and welfare and policy — taught in large lectures and required or recommended across many majors. It pairs with ECON 1120 (macro).
ECON 1120 — Introductory Macroeconomics
ECON 1120 is the macroeconomics half of Cornell's intro economics pair — GDP, inflation, unemployment, aggregate demand and supply, fiscal and monetary policy, and economic growth — delivered in large lectures with prelims and a final carrying most of the grade.
Applied Economics & Management
Psychology
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