CS 47B

Authors: Josh Hug, Stella Kaval, Isabel Dong

CS 47B is a self-managed course, where you will complete a subset of the CS 61B curriculum. Assignments are released and due at the same time as the CS 61B content schedule.

CS 47B Coursework

The following CS 61B assignments are required for CS 47B students:

  • HW 1 (Setup)
  • HW 2 (Java Intro)
  • HW 5 (BSTMaps)
  • HW 6 (Midterm Review)
  • HW 7 (HashMaps)
  • HW 8 (Final Review)
  • Project 4 (NGram and Wordnet)
  • Project 5 (Build Your Own World)

Note: The assignment numbers may change slightly, but these are the assignment names you will be completing.

Each assignment’s deadline follows the due dates set by CS 61B, which can be found on the main page.

To submit assignments, students in CS 47B follow the same workflow as students in CS 61B, which is taught in HW 1. Students will submit their assignments to a Gradescope titled CS 61B. Although this Gradescope contains all CS 61B assignments, CS 47B students are not required to do any additional assignments beyond the ones listed above.

Deadlines and Extensions

  • Deadlines: Each assignment’s deadline follows the due dates set by CS 61B, which can be found on the main page.
  • Extensions: Extensions up to 1 week will be automatically approved (but you must still submit a request).

Even with extensions, the absolute final deadline for all assignments to be submitted is the end of the semester (Friday, December 11, 2026). This includes Project 5, because you will be doing a live checkoff with a TA during Week 15 (more information will be released later in the semester).

Communication

  • CS 47B Policies: This is the official course syllabus for CS 47B.
  • Course Email: For logistical questions, email CS 47B staff via cs47b@berkeley.edu. It can take a couple days to receive a response.
  • Ed: This is a forum where you can make posts and ask questions (here’s a guide for how to use it). For assignment help, use the appropriate Homeworks/Project tags. For CS 47B-specific questions, use the CS 47B tag.
    • Ed response times are quicker than email. Making public posts also allows other CS 47B students to view and answer them. For sensitive matters, you can make private posts on Ed, which are only visible to you and staff.
  • Beacon: You can track your grades and extensions on Beacon. (We do not use bCourses for grades; we use Beacon instead.)
  • Gradescope: Assignments are submitted on Gradescope.

All communication from CS 47B staff will be through the CS 47B course email, cs47b@berkeley.edu and through Ed.

Resources and Getting Help

As a CS 47B student, you are not required or expected to attend any CS 61B course meetings. However, you are welcome and encouraged to come to any CS 61B events to help you succeed in the course, including lectures, office hours, discussion sections, and labs.

If you need help with homeworks or projects, we strongly encourage you to come to office hours. The schedule is located on the calendar page.

Grades

Your grade will be based entirely on your performance on required homeworks and projects. CS 61B assignments not listed above are not graded, but you might find them cool. There will be no exams. CS 47B is not graded on a curve.

  • Homeworks: 50 points each
  • Project 4 and 5: 800 points each

For CS 47B students, there are 1,900 total points, including 6 homeworks and 2 projects. The grade bins are:

A A- B+ B C
1750 1520 1000 800 550

CS 47B Collaboration and LLM Policy

You must read the CS 61B Collaboration and LLM Policy.

All work for CS 47B will be solo except for Projects 4 and 5, where you will have the option to pair up with another CS 47B student. Partners are optional but strongly recommended. Working with a partner can enhance your learning experience by providing different perspectives and enabling collaborative problem-solving.

  • Finding Partners: Closer to project dates, CS 47B staff will post a thread on the Ed discussion board for CS 47B students to find other CS 47B partners. CS 47B students pairing with CS 61B students is not allowed.
  • Submitting With a Group: To submit an assignment with a partner, there are two steps involved. First, the group will need to complete a partnership form. (Project 4 Partnership Form, Project 5 Partnership Form) Secondly, one student from the partnership will submit to Gradescope.

Getting Started

  • Read the CS 47B policies page and the Collaboration and LLM Policy.
  • Check your email for a bCourses invitation to CS 61B. This will give you access to Ed and Gradescope. Reach out to cs47b@berkeley.edu if you do not have access to bCourses, Ed, or Gradescope.
  • Complete HW 1 to set up your Beacon account, Github repository, and development environment by Friday, 8/28.
  • Complete HW 2 to set up Provenance and brush up on your Java fundamentals by Tuesday, 9/1.
  • Get started on coursework. Everything is linked on the course website. All CS 47B students should start with HW 1. Future HWs and projects will be released later in the semester.