Hongyang Zhang is a Computer Science professor at Northeastern University rated 3.47/5 on Rate My Professors by 32 students, with 3.2/5 RMP difficulty and 59% who would take them again (RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated October 2026).
Hongyang Zhang professor reviews and ratings: 3.47/5 from 32 RMP ratings at Northeastern (59% would take again). RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Hard to understand what he is trying to say. Prof Zhang thinks he's always right and gets annoyed if you ask him to explain things. He also spends way too much time criticizing other professors/reviewers instead of actually teaching. You basically have to teach yourself.CS7140 2026-09-08 06:10:53 +0000 UTC
His voice makes you sleepy in class. He's always immersed in his own world, you cannot not learn anything from him in class.DS4400 2026-04-01 02:59:13 +0000 UTC
Very cool prof! If you want a deep understanding of the mathematical side of Machine Learning, take his class. He focuses heavily on the theoretical aspects, which is rare and valuable. Despite the rigor, he is extremely understanding and patient and is always willing to go the extra mile to explain things during office hours.DS5220 2026-03-26 05:24:34 +0000 UTC
If you want to learn deep learning, look at some free edX/MIT classes; if you're taking this for PhD, I'd recommend taking other sessions other than his. The lectures are super dry, often skipping showing how to solve actual problems. He didn't did do well explaining the concepts. We had to check lectures on the internet to fully understand them.CS7180 2021-06-15 14:41:11 +0000 UTC
Prof. Zhang is an exceptionally devoted mentor for any student driven by curiosity and a genuine passion for machine learning research.CS7140 2026-08-11 19:04:52 +0000 UTC
had him for cs4100 but that wasnt an option. Freest A of my life. Midterm was takehome, attendance wasn't mandatory, and homework assignments had so much starter code I was basically just uncommenting lines and submitting. Learned absolutely nothing though.DS4400 2025-12-17 07:07:40 +0000 UTC
Sometimes he UNSURE of what hes trying to say. Poor communication skills.DS5220 2026-02-26 19:56:17 +0000 UTC
Excellent course. Prof Zhang is very polite, accessible and extremely knowledgeable in his area. Anyone pursing machine learning/deep learning will gain a lot from this course.CS7180 2021-06-02 22:05:11 +0000 UTC
He is not a good advisor for phd, very harsh. Better to avoid!CS7140 2026-06-05 17:56:33 +0000 UTC
Course itself is great, I have learnt quite a lot. However, I wouldn't recommend the professor to take his session on. He is great, but not good at teaching.DS4400 2025-02-17 20:38:27 +0000 UTC
This course covers conventional machine learning materials. I have taken cs6140 under another professor, which actually covered similar topics compared to this course. But that one is more profound and interesting, I guess it's due to the teaching style. This course could be more solid and easy-to-understand for whom just got into this areaDS5220 2025-02-17 20:46:46 +0000 UTC
Took his course last year. He's probably good at his field but the course is poorly designed. Just read off the slides which just copy&paste from other universities' slides. He didn't organize them well and plan beforehand. Often changed the assignment's requirements at the last mins. Very little passion for teaching. Doesn't care about students.CS7180 2021-05-05 19:04:13 +0000 UTC
A nice course introducing learning theory and optimization, with connections to modern ML.CS7140 2026-05-24 15:50:25 +0000 UTC
I learned a lot from Professor Zhang's lectures. Each presentation/class had a well-structured flow and the content was relevant and useful. He is also very well-versed in the topic which meant that additional comments were typically insightful. He also cares about students and wants to help them in any way he can.DS4400 2025-01-06 03:20:48 +0000 UTC
Professor Zhang is approachable and encourages students to ask questions. Office hours are well-utilized, we often go to his office after class to ask questions, and he was always patient and happy to answer.DS5220 2024-01-13 01:48:11 +0000 UTC
Hongyang Zhang is rated 3.47/5 on Rate My Professors from 32 ratings. 59% of RMP reviewers said they would take them again.
Hongyang Zhang's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.2/5 on Rate My Professors.
Hongyang Zhang has taught CS8949, CS7140, CS4100, DS5220, CS6140, DS4400, CS7180 at Northeastern.
Data updated October 2026.