The key idea of this year’s admissions campaign is “training AI-proof professionals.” AI is already transforming business processes and changing job descriptions and titles. There is no guarantee that, having spent 4-6 years at university training for a particular profession, you will be able to work in the same field for another 5-10 years. However, it is possible to learn to adapt to the constantly changing reality by acquiring fundamental knowledge and flexible skills, and learning to harness AI. These are the skills that a modern university has to provide.

“Many parents rightfully think that there is a risk that after studying for four years their children may graduate with a specialization that is no longer relevant. Applicants, on the other hand, may say that going to class is a waste of time: they can just start vibe-coding their first projects instead. We see these challenges and answer them within our new admissions campaign. Our goal as a university isn’t to produce specialists for particular jobs that may well be substituted by AI; no, we aim to train professionals who will be able to develop new AI systems and apply existing ones in their subject fields, be that IT, physics, chemistry, and other interdisciplinary fields,” says Kirill Alexandrov, the first deputy head of ITMO’s Admission Office.

This approach to training specialists can be seen in the curriculum of Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, as well as the structure of the educational process. In total, ITMO offers over 100 educational programs, many of which focus on training professionals in AI – those who will develop cutting-edge AI systems and manage them. For instance, the first Russian Bachelor’s program for top-level AI developers, AI360: ML Native, which ITMO implements in collaboration with Yandex and Sberbank. Additionally, five specialized programs offered by the university are recognized as best in the country: five of them have won the competition by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media in collaboration with the Analytical Center of the Russian Government for top-level educational programs in IT and AI. And for four years in a row, ITMO has ranked among the top three universities in training for AI specialists, according to AI Alliance.

ITMO also offers nine Master’s programs that train specialists capable of designing AI products and bringing them to the market, applying AI in fintech and industry, and protecting internal systems from cyberthreats. These programs are supported by leading tech companies, such as Yandex, Sberbank, Ozon, X5 Group, MTS, Napoleon IT, and others, with their curricula regularly updated to meet the industry’s needs.

Read also:

Your Guide to Choosing Top AI & IT Educational Programs in Russia

AI Architecture, Data Analytics, and ML Engineering: ITMO Master’s Programs in Artificial Intelligence

Apart from that, all ITMO students, regardless of their program, take university-wide modules on AI technologies and digital culture. These courses are tailored to students’ level of education, allowing each one to apply AI within their specialization. ITMO was one of the first universities that allowed students to use neural networks when working on their graduation papers; the university also gradually introduces generative AI into the educational process, including by joining large-scale projects where students and lecturers test AI assistants. As AI services develop, ITMO adapts its educational process: for instance, by involving more oral exams where students have to present and explain the results of their work in person. Additionally, alongside fundamental courses, students acquire soft skills, including system thinking and process management, through dedicated courses.

Interested applicants can “try out” their future specialization and the life of an ITMO student even before admission. International students and out-of-towners can start learning about the university right at Pulkovo Airport, where a welcome banner promotes the admissions campaign – with similar banners soon to appear in some of the city’s key locations. ITMO has also launched a website (in Russian), where applicants can see concrete examples of jobs that won’t be replaced by AI, as well as learn how technologies can help them stay professionally relevant and achieve results.

This project uses the examples of ITMO’s actual students, scientists, and lecturers. For instance, Andrey Stankevich, the dean of ITMO’s Information Technologies and Programming Faculty, the head of the jury of the national school students’ competition in informatics, and a coach who has trained several generations of international-contest-winning programmers; and Alexander Belinsky, a runner-up in the national competition in informatics who came to ITMO to develop brand new machine learning models and conduct fundamental AI research, as well as researchers who already use technologies in their subject fields to great results: from publications in Nature Photonics to making real changes in production. On this website, applicants will also be able to choose the growth trajectory that fits their unique interests.

Moreover, ITMO has an English-language admissions website with up-to-date information about educational programs, including curricula and entrance requirements, as well as lecturers and partners. Programs can be filtered by level of education and subject fields. Applicants can register on the website in advance to select a pool of programs they are interested in.

The university will be open for visitors starting from June 20, the first admissions day in all Russian universities; on this day, an extended Admission Office will open at ITMO’s campus on Kronverksky Prospect. There, applicants will be able to ask their questions about the admission process and available programs. The office can also be reached by phone: + 7 (812) 480-0-480; the university’s International Admission Office can be reached by phone: +7 (812) 480-09-20 or email: international@itmo.ru.

Another opportunity to learn more about the university and engage with students, graduates, and faculty will be the upcoming ITMO Family Day on July 11. Held at 300th Anniversary Park, this is a graduation ceremony and an open-air summer festival with lectures by the university’s tech partners, entertainment areas, as well as an Admission Office pop-up stall. Entrance is free and open to applicants and their families. To attend, register on the event’s website.