Historical instructor

ERIC BACH

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.15/5 from 59 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
CS435 was very enjoyable. Lectures were well organized & helpful. Not recorded, so attendance was necessary to learn the content well (but not required). Homeworks are difficult but interesting to work through for someone interested in the subject. Exams are easier than HWs. Bach is available plenty outside of class and is very helpful during OHs.
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COMPSCI 787
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
CS787 advanced algorithms is a hard course. Prof Bach made the course approachable. He was willing to explain the topic and answer questions, whichever is asked at class. He definitely made it less intimidating to learn. Workload is average (2 hws + 1 exams).
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COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435
Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
Professor Bach is a nice enough guy, but he is a terrible professor! He presents the material without any real clear direction, and half the time stands in front of what he just wrote, making note-taking a nightmare. The homeworks are impossible, but the exams tend to be a little easier and you can muddle your way through them. AVOID!
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COMPSCI 577
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Bach is quite good. He's a little old school and only lectures on a chalkboard, however, he tries to put up relevant material on the website. He's slow to grade, but overall, a very good professor who knows his stuff. He also writes his own fresh problem sets fresh every semester with novel problems and takes feedback actively for class
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COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435
Quality 2/5Difficulty 5/5
Extremely difficult professor, all of the material is presented at a ridiculously high level. A lot of the times I looked up alternative lectures. Homework is near impossible, and expects you to know terminology and material covered in CS240 (i.e. proof techniques), despite the fact that it's listed as optional. At least the exams were easy.
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COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435
Quality 1/5Difficulty 5/5
Professor Bach is kind and clearly very knowledgeable regarding cryptography, but in no way does it translate to being a good instructor. He works strictly on a chalkboard, covers his work most the time, explains complex ideas in vague symbols, has confusing lectures, and assumes us to understand his proofs before he trails off. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with ERIC BACH

No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.

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Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

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Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2025COMPSCI 639Undergraduate Elective Topics in Computing
Spring 2025COMPSCI 699Directed Study
Spring 2025COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2024COMPSCI 787Advanced Algorithms
Fall 2024COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2024MATH 698Directed Study
Spring 2024COMPSCI 699Directed Study
Spring 2024COMPSCI 812Arithmetic Algorithms
Fall 2023COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Spring 2023COMPSCI 787Advanced Algorithms
Fall 2022COMPSCI 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2022COMPSCI 699Directed Study
Fall 2022COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435Introduction to Cryptography
Spring 2022COMPSCI 520Introduction to Theory of Computing
Fall 2021COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Fall 2020COMPSCI 639Undergraduate Elective Topics in Computing
Fall 2020COMPSCI 839Core Topics in Computing
Fall 2020MATH 990Reading and Research
Spring 2020COMPSCI 699Directed Study
Spring 2020COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2020COMPSCI 812Arithmetic Algorithms
Fall 2019COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Fall 2019COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2019COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2019COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435Introduction to Cryptography
Fall 2018COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2018COMPSCI 787Advanced Algorithms
Fall 2017COMPSCI 520Introduction to Theory of Computing
Fall 2017COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2017COMPSCI 812Arithmetic Algorithms
Spring 2017COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Fall 2016COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Fall 2016COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2016COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Spring 2016COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Spring 2016COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2016COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Fall 2015COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2015COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Spring 2015COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Spring 2015COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2015COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Fall 2014COMPSCI 787Advanced Algorithms
Fall 2014COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2014COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Spring 2014COMPSCI 812Arithmetic Algorithms
Spring 2014COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Fall 2013COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Fall 2013COMPSCI 899Pre-dissertator Research
Fall 2013COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Spring 2013COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2013COMPSCI 899Pre-dissertator Research
Spring 2013COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Spring 2013COMPSCI/MATH 240Introduction to Discrete Mathematics
Spring 2013MATH 990Reading and Research
Fall 2012COMPSCI 638Undergraduate Topics in Computing
Fall 2012COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2012COMPSCI 838Topics in Computing
Fall 2012COMPSCI 990Dissertation
Fall 2012COMPSCI 999Dissertator Research
Spring 2012COMPSCI 787Advanced Algorithms
Spring 2012COMPSCI 899Pre-dissertator Research
Spring 2012COMPSCI 999Dissertator Research
Fall 2011COMPSCI 520Introduction to Theory of Computing
Fall 2011COMPSCI 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2011COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2011COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2011COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435Introduction to Cryptography
Fall 2010COMPSCI 787Advanced Algorithms
Fall 2010COMPSCI 999Dissertator Research
Spring 2010COMPSCI 412Introduction to Numerical Methods
Spring 2010COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2009COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2009COMPSCI 812Arithmetic Algorithms
Fall 2008COMPSCI 577Introduction to Algorithms
Fall 2008COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2008COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Spring 2008COMPSCI/ECE/MATH 435Introduction to Cryptography
Fall 2007COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2007COMPSCI 812Arithmetic Algorithms
Spring 2007COMPSCI 412Introduction to Numerical Methods
Spring 2007COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2006COMPSCI 699Directed Study
Fall 2006COMPSCI 787Advanced Algorithms
Fall 2006COMPSCI 799Master's Research

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance 
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