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Apply to CS 4535

30+ seats still available for Fall 2026

We're building a large section — our goal is 50 students, and more than 30 seats are still open. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so apply as soon as possible: Application Form →

CS 4535: Software Design & Delivery is a selective capstone for up to 50 students. The product is Pawtograder — a production platform with 1,500+ weekly active users across CS 2000, 2100, and 3100 at Northeastern. All 50 students work on one codebase together, shipping continuously to production throughout the semester. We're building a team, not filling seats.

Prerequisites​

The only prerequisite is CS 3100 (or its predecessor, CS 3500). No other courses required. The application and pre-application activity are how we assess readiness — not a list of prior classes.

Time Commitment​

This is a 4-credit course. Expect to spend 200 minutes per week in class (MWR 10:30–11:35 AM) — some of which is dedicated time working on your project — plus 8–12 hours per week outside of class studying, working on the project, preparing demos, doing code review, and writing documentation.

All Pawtograder repositories are public and open source — you can start exploring right now.

Before applying, try this:

  1. Clone the Pawtograder repo
  2. Follow the steps in the README to: set up local Supabase using Docker, seed the database, make a production build, start it
  3. Start a browser, log in as an instructor, navigate to Course Settings > Enrollments, and take a screenshot of the page

If you get stuck, join the Pawtograder Community Discord and engage meaningfully in the support community there. Getting unstuck with help from others is a skill, not a failure.

You can also just tell Claude Code to do this: "set up local supabase using docker. seed the db, make a prod build, start a headless browser, login as an instructor and take a screenshot of the enrollments page." That's a legitimate approach — using AI tooling effectively is part of what this course teaches.

Once you have the app running locally, click through the interface. Explore it as a user. Consider whether anything you see could be better — and if so, whether there's already a ticket for it.

Bonus: Improve a documentation page and submit a PR.

This is not graded. But it tells us you can engage with a real codebase and seek help productively when you're stuck — which is most of what professional software engineering actually is. And because we review applications on a rolling basis, an application that arrives with the activity already done is an easy decision: it answers nearly every question we'd otherwise have. Those applicants tend to hear back very quickly.

Application Questions​

Complete this Application Form →

Other Ways to Stand Out​

Students may also consider (but are not required to):

  • Pick up a good first issue and submit a PR
  • Write a detailed feature proposal — if you're a current or former Pawtograder user, describe a real problem you've experienced, who it affects, and how you'd approach solving it. Not "it would be cool if..." but a well-reasoned proposal.
  • File a thoughtful bug report with clear reproduction steps
  • Propose a project — if you have an idea for a project team that isn't on our list, describe the problem, who it affects, and how you'd approach it. The project slate is tentative — we want your ideas.

Who Should Apply​

We're building a team, not a class roster. We need:

  • Software engineers (junior to senior) — whether this is your first production codebase or you've been shipping code for years
  • Product managers — drive what gets built based on evidence
  • User researchers & designers — talk to real users and improve their experience
  • DevOps engineers — own infrastructure, CI/CD, and reliability
  • Tech leads — coordinate across teams and make architectural decisions

You don't need to pick one in your application — but tell us where your energy is.

Selection​

We prioritize diversity of skills. We're not looking for 50 of the same person. Your application should reflect what you bring to the team.

Completing the pre-application activity is strongly recommended. It's the clearest signal that you can engage with a real codebase — and with 30+ seats open and rolling review, an application with that signal rarely needs a second look.

Timeline​

  • Application: Open now — 30+ of 50 seats still available
  • Review: Rolling — we review applications as they come in, so apply as soon as possible
  • Decisions: Rolling as well. Applications that include a completed pre-application activity are the fastest to decide — expect to hear back within days, not weeks. Accepted students will receive enrollment instructions before the start of the Fall 2026 semester