CS 680Introduction to Machine Learning
- Units
- 0.50
- Level
- Graduate
- Faculty
- Mathematics
- Subject
- Computer Science
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Introduction to modeling and algorithmic techniques for machines to learn concepts from data. Generalization: underfitting, overfitting, cross-validation. Tasks: classification, regression, clustering. Optimization-based learning: loss minimization, regularization. Statistical learning: maximum likelihood, Bayesian learning. Algorithms: nearest neighbor, (generalized) linear regression, mixtures of Gaussians, Gaussian processes, kernel methods, support vector machines, deep learning, sequence learning, ensemble techniques. Large scale learning: distributed learning and stream learning. Applications: Natural language processing, computer vision, data mining, human computer interaction, information retrieval.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6329 | 35 / 45 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 002 | 6449 | 28 / 34 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 5995 | 0 / 24 | TTh 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 002 | 5996 | 0 / 20 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
Resources
Around the web
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Reviewed on UW Flow
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Discussed on r/uwaterloo
20 posts and comments in 19 threads mention CS 680, August 2018 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2023
CS 679 vs. CS 680 2 points, 0 comments
u/Rak1t1n: “Has anyone taken the two courses and could tell me what would be the main difference between those courses? And how's the difficulty/workload? Thanks CS 679: Neural Networks CS 680: Introduction to Machine Learning”
Fall 2022
CS480/680 Grades 1 point, 1 comment
u/blackbox_uwaterloo: “I am currently taking the CS680 course by Prof Yaoliang Yu and I'm struggling to manage proper grades with the assignments. Did the same thing happen with others who took the course under him previously? Were the grades skewed later on?”
Spring 2022
Graduate vs undergraduate courses 5 points, 3 comments
u/IndependentSidekick: “… My university recommended that I enroll in CS680, but what is the difference between this course and CS480? From what I can see they seem to be basically the same course, with the same lectures, exercises and exam. …”
u/Kraken_Fish_221: “The big difference is you and whether you have an undergraduate degree already. If you do then you take graduate level courses, like CS680.”
CS480/680 notes request 2 points, 2 comments
u/Abouelkhair5: “Would anybody be open to sharing in class notes for CS480/680? I’m trying my best to attend classes but have to miss quite a few due to strenuous circumstances. Would appreciate any help! Thank you 🙏🏽”
Winter 2022
Cs 680 in 2A 1 point, 0 comments
Am I the only person struggling in Cs480/680 7 points, 0 comments
u/HackerJojo: “The course content is hard as well as the assignments. It was kinda expected. But the grading of the assignment 2 is harsh - unreasonably harsh. Am I the only one feeling that?”
Fall 2021
CS480 Yaoliang Yu Help 6 points, 13 comments
“Hey folks, I'm struggling with some of the math-heavy content, looking for a do-good redditor who has taken CS480 to help me out. …”
u/DoubtQuick: “I have a tip for you, he teaches/taught optimization for data science course and he goes through gradient descent in depth. …”
u/vkoj1221: “The videos are on his website at the moment if anybody wanted to know since he is teaching the course this term as well. Though, I will say that those notes are much more dense than the ones for CS 480/680.”
Incoming grad student, have no ideahow to access online classes. 16 points, 5 comments
u/glip___glop: “… 001 CS 680 sec. 002 CS 794 sec. 001 Thanks! …”
Winter 2021
CS680 or STAT946? 0 points, 9 comments
u/ragnas_si: “Which one should I go with?”
CS680 or STAT946? 0 points, 0 comments
u/ragnas_s: “Between CS680 and STAT946 which one would you recommend? I know that both of them are amazing grad courses which makes choosing one over the other is proving to be quite difficult.”
Spring 2020
Looking for friends taking CS680 Spring 2020 3 points, 1 comment
u/lovelyclub1016: “Hi everyone, I am a master's student who is taking CS680 this Spring 2020. I am looking for some friends who are also taking the course to discuss the content and assignments. Could you please send me a message if you are taking the course now and would like to discuss with me? …”
Winter 2020
I have never been depressed by a course like 480 33 points, 10 comments
u/Inevitable_Vanilla: “One of the 'existing/alive' cs480/680 students. When I start thinking what i've learned during this term, my answer is basically nothing..I just feel that lots of stuff are still unclear, and I don't know what are the most important things from this course. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Graduate Calendar, Fall 2026The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them