Single source of truth
Course status
The current official facts for the upcoming offering, plus the details Columbia has not published yet.
Time and room
Wednesdays, 8:10–10:00 PM · 451 Computer Science Building
Draft syllabus
Fall 2026 course document · read online
TA and direct CourseWorks route
Not public yet. Enrolled students can sign in and search COMS E6998-002.
Upcoming offering
At a glance
An advanced sequel to COMS W4995 focused on the harder half of ICPC and Division 1 Codeforces problems—speed, rigor, and implementation under pressure.
- Instructors
- Josh Alman and Christian Yongwhan Lim
- Semester
- Fall 2026
- Meeting time
- Wednesdays · 8:10–10:00 PM
- Location
- 451 Computer Science Building
- Office hours
- By appointment
Before enrolling
Prerequisites and enrollment
Ready for the course if you can implement core algorithms quickly and explain why they work. COMS W4995 or equivalent contest experience is strongly recommended.
- Instructor permission is required by the official listing.
- COMS W3134 or W3136, W3203, and CSOR W4231 are recommended.
- C++ proficiency is strongly recommended; Java or Python is acceptable.
First four meetings
Fall 2026 schedule preview
View all 13 meetings →Probability and randomized algorithms
Core probabilistic tools and randomized approaches for contest problem solving.
Advanced dynamic programming
Optimization techniques and less familiar dynamic programming patterns.
Advanced graph algorithms
Structural graph techniques and advanced contest applications.
Network flows and matchings
Flow, matching, and related optimization problems.
Keep practicing
Resources
Questions
Contact the course team
Josh Alman
Co-instructor · Office hours by appointment
josh@cs.columbia.eduChristian Yongwhan Lim
Co-instructor · Office hours by appointment
yongwhan.lim@columbia.edu