Spring 2026 · CS 301

Advanced
Algorithms
& Complexity

Credits 4 units Meets Mon / Wed / Fri · 10:00–10:50 AM Room Engineering Hall 214 Final Exam May 15, 2026
View Course Materials →
301

This Week's Schedule

Mon Mar 9 Network Flow — Ford-Fulkerson Lecture
Wed Mar 11 Max-Flow Min-Cut Theorem Lecture
Fri Mar 13 Problem Set 4 Due Due
Mon Mar 16 NP-Completeness Intro Lecture

Course Modules

MODULE 01

Divide & Conquer

Master recursion trees, merge sort, and the master theorem for solving recurrences efficiently.

✓ Completed
MODULE 02

Dynamic Programming

Memoization, tabulation, and optimal substructure. Knapsack, LCS, and edit distance problems.

✓ Completed
MODULE 03

Greedy Algorithms

Interval scheduling, Huffman coding, Dijkstra's and Prim's algorithms with exchange arguments.

✓ Completed
MODULE 04

Graph Algorithms

BFS, DFS, shortest paths, minimum spanning trees, and strongly connected components.

✓ Completed
MODULE 05

Network Flow

Ford-Fulkerson, Edmonds-Karp, max-flow min-cut theorem and bipartite matching reductions.

→ In Progress
MODULE 06

NP-Completeness

P vs NP, polynomial reductions, Cook-Levin theorem, and approximation algorithms.

— Upcoming

Assignments & Exams

Jan 31 Problem Set 1 — Recurrences Homework 100 pts
Feb 14 Problem Set 2 — Dynamic Programming Homework 100 pts
Feb 21 Midterm Exam I Exam 200 pts
Mar 7 Problem Set 3 — Graph Algorithms Homework 100 pts
Mar 13 Problem Set 4 — Network Flow DUE SOON Homework 100 pts
Apr 4 Midterm Exam II Exam 200 pts
Apr 25 Programming Project — Algorithm Implementation Project 150 pts
May 15 Final Exam (Comprehensive) Exam 250 pts

Instructor

👤

Dr. Eleanor Marsh

Associate Professor · Department of Computer Science

Dr. Marsh received her PhD from MIT in 2012, specializing in approximation algorithms and combinatorial optimization. Her current research focuses on algorithmic game theory and mechanism design. She has published over 40 papers in top venues including STOC, FOCS, and SODA, and received the NSF CAREER award in 2017.

Office Hours · Eng Hall 318

Tuesday 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Thursday 1:00 – 2:30 PM
Email e.marsh@university.edu