Rutgers CS 344: Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms
CS 344 (01:198:344) is Rutgers' core algorithms course: expressing and comparing algorithm complexity, worst- and average-case analysis, lower bounds, and correctness proofs across searching, sorting, and graph problems, plus hard problems (knapsack, satisfiability, TSP), NP-completeness, and approximation algorithms. It's a major upper-division gate.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Rutgers University. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
CS 344 is proof-and-analysis heavy, not coding. You design algorithms and then prove they're correct and analyze their runtime, which is a different muscle than implementation. Recurrences, reductions for NP-completeness, and writing rigorous correctness arguments are the classic killers. Students who breezed through programming courses on implementation skill alone often struggle here.
What you'll cover
- • Asymptotic analysis and recurrences
- • Divide-and-conquer algorithms
- • Greedy algorithms
- • Dynamic programming
- • Graph algorithms and shortest paths
- • NP-completeness and approximation
The CS 344 study guide
How to study for Rutgers CS 344, step by step.
- 1
Treat CS 344 as a proof course
You're graded on correctness arguments and runtime analysis, not working code. Lean on the CS 205 proof skills, and practice writing rigorous justifications. Partial credit lives in the precision of the argument.
- 2
Drill recurrences and the Master Theorem
Divide-and-conquer analysis runs on recurrences, and they appear on every exam. Work enough that solving a recurrence and applying the Master Theorem costs you no thought.
- 3
Practice the algorithm-design paradigms separately
Greedy, divide-and-conquer, and dynamic programming each have a recognizable shape. Build a catalog of solved problems by paradigm so you can recognize which approach a new problem wants. That recognition is the exam skill.
- 4
Make NP-completeness reductions routine
Reductions are the most feared CS 344 topic. Work through the standard ones (SAT, vertex cover, knapsack) until the structure of a reduction proof is familiar rather than terrifying.
Today
Today's CS 344 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for CS 344. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is CS 344 hard at Rutgers?
Yes. It's a proof-and-analysis course, not an implementation course, and that catches students who coasted through programming classes. Recurrences, dynamic programming, and NP-completeness reductions are the usual killers.
What should I know before CS 344?
Comfort with proofs from CS 205 and solid data-structures knowledge from CS 112. The course assumes you can write rigorous arguments and reason about runtimes from day one.
How do I study for CS 344 exams?
Practice writing correctness proofs and runtime analyses, drill recurrences and the Master Theorem, and work standard NP-completeness reductions until their structure feels routine rather than intimidating.
More Rutgers courses
CS 111: Introduction to Computer Science
CS 111 (01:198:111) is the first course for Rutgers CS majors and minors, taught in Java. It covers programming fundamentals (variables, loops, arrays, recursion, and basic object-oriented concepts) through autograded programming assignments and high-stakes exams.
CS 112: Data Structures
CS 112 (01:198:112) is the second core CS course at Rutgers, covering linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, hash tables, and graphs in Java, along with algorithm analysis. It's a prerequisite gate for nearly all upper-level CS courses and a key input for declaring the major.
CS 205: Introduction to Discrete Structures I
CS 205 (01:198:205) is Rutgers' discrete math course for CS majors: logic, proofs, sets, functions, relations, and combinatorics. It's the theory backbone for later courses like algorithms, and it runs alongside the programming sequence.
CS 211: Computer Architecture
CS 211 (01:198:211) covers the fundamentals of modern computer systems: C programming, data representation and computer arithmetic, assembly language, Boolean algebra and digital logic, and the design of the processor, cache, and memory. It's where Rutgers CS students drop from Java down to the machine.