# CMPS 221 — Computer Organization & Design (AUB) > CMPS 221 Computer Organization & Design at American University of Beirut. 6 student reviews · 12 shared files. Source: https://studiety.com/aub/course/549 Retrieved: 2026-09-17 ## Facts - Course code: CMPS 221 - Title: Computer Organization & Design - University: American University of Beirut (AUB) - Subject: Computer Science - Department: Computer Science - Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Sciences - Credits: 3 - Professors on record (3): Izzat El Hajj, Mahmoud Bdeir, Sari Lakkis ## Catalogue description A structured overview of the fundamentals of designing digital computer systems.Topics covered include digital logic and systems, machine level representation of data, assembly level machine organization, memory system organization and architecture, CPU implementation and virtual machines, and exposure to one or more micro/mini architectures. ## Quick answers ### What is CMPS 221 at AUB? CMPS 221 Computer Organization & Design is a 3-credit course at American University of Beirut (AUB), in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. A structured overview of the fundamentals of designing digital computer systems.Topics covered include digital logic and systems, machine level representation of data, assembly level machine organization, memory system organization and architecture, CPU implementation and virtual machines, and exposure to one or more micro/mini architectures. ### How many credits is CMPS 221? CMPS 221 Computer Organization & Design is worth 3 credits at AUB. ### Is CMPS 221 hard? 6 AUB students have written about CMPS 221 on Studiety. No one has left a star rating yet, so read what they wrote rather than an average. ### Who teaches CMPS 221 at AUB? Studiety has 3 professors on record for CMPS 221: Izzat El Hajj, Mahmoud Bdeir, Sari Lakkis. Sections change every term, so check the registrar for who is teaching now. ### What are the prerequisites for CMPS 221? CMPS 221 lists 2 prerequisites: CMPS 202 Data Structures, CMPS 211 Discrete Structures. ### Are there past papers for CMPS 221? Yes — 12 files for CMPS 221 have been shared by AUB students on Studiety, including exams, quizzes, syllabi and notes. They are free to download with a student account. ## What to expect - Has Quiz 1 - Has Quiz 2 - Has Final - Has Attendance - Has Graded Homeworks - Has Participation - Original Book Necessary ## Prerequisites - [CMPS 202 — Data Structures](https://studiety.com/aub/course/548) - [CMPS 211 — Discrete Structures](https://studiety.com/aub/course/547) ## Shared course material 12 files shared by students. Free to download after signing up. - Assignments & homework: 5 - Exams & quizzes: 5 (most recent from 2014) - Syllabi: 2 (most recent from 2015) ## Student reviews 6 of 6 reviews by students who took the course. Any review carried over from elsewhere is marked with its source on its own line. - **2020-08** — This course was one of the best courses I've taken in my major, it was so important because it's the only hardware course we take in the major of computer science, and the way it's organized and the material provided in it are so important and make you understand the fundamental concepts behind everything we're working on as programmers, I definitely recommend this course with bdeir, but I hear Izzat is also really good at it so I guess it's alright regardless of the professor. - **2019-08** — he's a very good teacher - **2019-08** — He is very organized and very good teacher. - **2019-08** — theyre both great but taking with izzat just because you'll be taught by bdeir anyway so its better to be diverse - **2019-08** — Bdeirrrr. he wont just teach you the material, he'll teach you to push yourself, and you'll learn A LOT from whatever he speaks. he knows a lot of information that he wants to share with the class whenever he can and he cares about his students. - **2019-08** — Izzat El-Hajj is one of the best people I have met in my life. We were both PhD students at some point, and although I actually never took a course with him (obviously), I would recommend anyone to take his class. The guy is pure class, very smart, very well spoken, and extremely nice. ## See also - [All Computer Science courses at AUB](https://studiety.com/aub/subject/computer-science.md) - [Every AUB subject](https://studiety.com/aub/subjects.md) --- From Studiety (https://studiety.com/), an independent, student-run course guide. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any university. Reviews are the opinions of individual students.