Special Pilot CS Class

Tsinghua University Microsoft Special Pilot CS Class Introduction

Tsinghua University Microsoft Special Pilot CS Class was co-founded by Professor Yao and Microsoft Research Asia and this class is called “Yao Class� in Tsinghua University. The founding of this “Yao Class� is due to the disparity of education background for undergraduate between China and prestigious universities overseas. As one of the best software research, Microsoft Research Asia’s cooperation with Professor Yao helps students from this class to become top CS talents like students from MIT, Stanford and so on.

Therefore, Professor Yao, with his long years’ theoretical research and didactical experience, and experts from Microsoft, prepare 10 core courses for the class, using advanced method of international computer pedagogy for reference. Furthermore, Professor Yao teaches four courses for this program. After three years’ academic training and hard work, students from “Yao Class�, no matter they look for a job or pursue further study, will show their competence like those from international prestigious universities.

Professor Yao is not going to cultivate ordinary computer software programmer but to cultivate international top computer talents. Thus, he attaches much importance to international academic exchange and practice. We promise to send the best students to top 5 universities in America to exchange and study for them to have access to the latest research resource overseas. All the students have opportunities to go to Hong Kong for academic exchange and all of the fourth year students have chances to go to Microsoft Research Asia for field study.

In March, 2006, 59 brilliant students, who were outstanding freshmen and sophomores out of 147 students, were lucky to be admitted to this “Yao Class�, and they have been the third and fourth year students. In May, 2007, 30 first-year brilliant students became the third group of “Yao Class� and this class would admit 30 students out of first-year students every year from then on.

Professor Yao himself sets down program and writes pedagogical scheme for this class, which is supported by Department of Higher Education, and Ministry of Education will fund this “Yao Class� every year for students to innovate, practice and do their research interest.

We hope every student willing to devote himself to computer software and theoretical scientific research would join us!