Fall 2026

Introduction to Software Security

Introduction to software security covering secure design, programming, vulnerability assessment, and system defenses throughout the software development life cycle.

no offering record for this termCredits unavailable
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 No instructors listed

Summary

1 / 5

Historical reviews of Barton Miller: The course relies on weekly quizzes with strict attendance and no makeups. Students report that extra credit exists, but missing quizzes makes high grades difficult, and the quizzes are often vague or harshly graded.

Grade history

average GPA
letter grades
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

COMP SCI 400 or 320, graduate/professional standing, or declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals

    • COMPSCI 400
    • COMPSCI 320
    • graduate/professional standing, or declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals
    take one
COMPSCI 542

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Any of
    • COMPSCI 400
    • COMPSCI 320
    • graduate/professional standing, or declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals

Professors

Fall 2026

No instructors recorded for this selection.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Barton Miller: Barton Miller receives consistent criticism for poor teaching execution, including rambling lectures, lack of explanation, and inflexibility regarding accommodations and quizzes. Reviewers describe him as condescending, unhelpful, and resistant to feedback, with some citing rude behavior from guest lecturers and TAs. While some acknowledge his knowledge, the majority report a frustrating and unproductive classroom environment.

BARTON MILLER is recorded teaching in Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

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SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.

Meeting source records

No records available.

Student experience

the class

Historical reviews of Barton Miller: Reviewers report a highly polarized experience with Barton Miller. While a few find the course fun and straightforward, the majority describe it as a frustrating nightmare characterized by poor teaching execution and unhelpful instruction.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.56 GPA, 75.4% A/AB (n=138 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.42 GPA, 62.3% A/AB (n=122 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.45 GPA, 67.3% A/AB (n=113 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Historical reviews of Barton Miller: The course relies on weekly quizzes with strict attendance and no makeups. Students report that extra credit exists, but missing quizzes makes high grades difficult, and the quizzes are often vague or harshly graded.

Historical reviews of Barton Miller: Students frequently cite weak TA support, confusing quizzes, and rude instructor interactions as major frustrations. Conversely, some appreciate the engaging course material, participation opportunities, and the preference for weekly exams over a traditional final.

Topics

  • Secure software design methodologies.
  • Secure programming techniques.
  • Vulnerability assessment.
  • Static and dynamic analysis tools.
  • System defenses.

Skills

  • Designing secure software.
  • Secure programming techniques.
  • Vulnerability assessment methodologies.
  • Using static and dynamic analysis tools.
  • Implementing system defenses.

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Fall 2026.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Spring 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Selected offering source records

No offering records for the selected term.

Raw records
[]
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Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "46a4a11ac8760aeab9e0aa90703cceb76f53881a15bf85bcd27bc63e9bc62988",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}