The Information Technologies and Programming Faculty is a part of ITMO’s School of Translational Information Technologies. In 1991, Prof. Vladimir Vasilyev and Prof. Vladimir Parfenov established the Computer Technology Department – one of the first computer-related departments in Russia. Its primary aims were to enroll IT talents among school students and train them as high-ranked specialists. Years on, in 2000, the department laid the foundation for the Information Technologies and Programming Faculty, which became one of the leading research and educational centers in programming and software development. The faculty records remarkable success in competitive programming, being the world's only seven-time ACM ICPC champion; among its graduates are also Andrey Breslav and Roman Elizarov who lead the team behind Kotlin programming language, as well as Gennady Korotkevich – the world’s most titled competitive programmer. 

In total, graduates of the faculty have started over 50 successful IT companies. 

As of now, the faculty is in the top 3 computer faculties in Russia, including by the average salary of its graduates. The faculty’s mission is to train graduates who can quickly move up to mid-level and senior positions in the fields of software development and AI systems by starting their professional careers during the final years of university. The faculty offers educational programs that train highly-qualified professionals in partnership with the country’s top bightech companies – Yandex, VK, Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, T-Bank, Avito, and many others.The programs feature specialized courses, practical training on real-world projects, internships and further employment opportunities (starting from the third year of studies), and additional stipends.

The faculty includes more than 150 employees of leading IT companies in Russia.  Annually, over 200 companies welcome the faculty’s students for practical training, internship, and work. Best-performing junior students are offered a number of additional stipends by IT companies.

The faculty is situated at a historic building in the heart of St. Petersburg, just 300 meters away from the Peter and Paul Fortress. 

Education

As part of beginner-level programming courses, students get to work on and defend individual projects. 

Junior students are placed into groups based on their training levels, with the ability to change their group later; whereas senior students are free to choose their own specializations and some specialized courses. 

Major-specific courses are taught by industry experts and require students to practice on and defend projects inspired by real-world business problems. Senior students have ample opportunities when it comes to their career tracks; they can choose separate courses and complex specializations.

The faculty’s balance between the fundamental and the applied helps address the challenges in programming training associated with the emergence of AI systems and rapidly changing tools, technologies, and processes in software development.

The Information Technologies and Programming Faculty is a recognized world leader in training future software developers. Among its faculty members are eight laureates of the President and Government’s Education Awards.

The faculty

Laureates of the President’s Education Award:

Andrey Stankevich – an associate professor and the chief coach of the Russian school student team in computer science;

Roman Elizarov – a professor and a member of the ICPC international organizing committee;

Vladimir Parfenov – a professor and the head of NERC ICPC.

Laureates of the Government’s Education Award: 

Anatoly Shalyto – a professor and the inventor of automatic programming technology;

Georgiy Korneev – an associate professor and the deputy head of NERC ICPC;

Mikhail Kazakov – an associate professor and the executive director of the ICPC finals.

Programming champions:

Pavel Mavrin – an assistant;

Artur Vasiliev – an assistant.

Mike Mirzayanov – an associate professor, the founder and head of Codeforces;

Konstantin Kohkas – an associate professor and a board member of the mathematics competition for school students in St. Petersburg;

Alexander Mayatin – an associate professor, head of the Information Technologies and Programming Faculty

To support talented youth, the faculty organizes such contests as NERC, the National Teams Competition in Programming for School Students, the National Individual Competition in Programming for School Students, the Open Olympiad for School Students in Computer Science and Mathematics, and online olympiads for school students.

Bachelor’s programs

AI360: ML Native

01.03.02 Applied Mathematics and Computer Science

Computer Technologies

01.03.02 Applied Mathematics and Computer Science

Software Engineering

09.03.02 Information Systems and Technologies

Master’s programs

Programming and Internet Technologies

09.04.02 Information Systems and Technologies

Speech Technologies and Machine Learning

09.04.02 Information Systems and Technologies

Business Information Systems

09.04.03 Applied Computer Science