How we built the curriculum

Crayon CS covers everything a computer science degree teaches, at bachelor’s and master’s level, in 72 courses. Here’s how we decided what goes in.

1. We studied the best programs

We looked at the core computer science programs of the six top-ranked schools in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 (Computer Science & Information Systems): Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, University of Oxford, and National University of Singapore. We mapped which topics every one of them requires, and in what order.

2. We checked it against the global standard

We cross-checked every course against the ACM/IEEE-CS CS2023 curriculum guidelines, which list the knowledge areas a computer science graduate should know. Every one of its 17 knowledge areas is covered.

3. We read the books those programs use

Each lesson is grounded in the classic textbooks used in those programs, and each lesson lists the books it draws on so you can go deeper. We teach the ideas in our own words, pictures and exercises. We never copy text, figures or problems from any book or course.

4. We rebuilt it for people who find it hard

Every lesson starts with an everyday analogy, then lets you play with the idea, then names it properly, then has you build something real. If an explanation doesn’t click, there’s always another one.