Originally developed at Carnegie Mellon University, this course has become a gold standard for understanding how programming languages actually work—not just how to type syntax, but the mathematical soul of computation itself. What is 15-312 About?
15-312 is famous for using Standard ML (SML) as its implementation language. Why SML? 15312 foundations of programming languages
How does a program run? Operational semantics gives a mathematical model of computation. There are two main styles taught in 15-312: Originally developed at Carnegie Mellon University
The curriculum typically follows a trajectory of increasing complexity: Structural Induction: 15312 foundations of programming languages
Syntax and Semantics