ITMO University to bring new IT Specialization in Russia

The new specialization IT Communications will be offered within the Master’s program Science Communication at ITMO University. Students of the program will learn to advertise IT products and create related educational initiatives under the guidance of top-tier machine learning professionals.

The aim of the specialization is to train science communicators who can design and manage communication and educational projects in a variety of fields, and machine learning in particular. Students of the new specialization will take new courses, such AI Technologies, IT Communications: From Startup to Corporation, and Applied AI Ethics, along with core disciplines in public relations, marketing, research metrics, scientific storytelling, data visualization, product-based approach, and HR basics.

“Tech teams, specialists, and journalists are looking for communicators who can not only make complex ideas more accessible and exciting but also build public trust towards novel technologies and products. IT is an attractive yet highly competitive industry, and our specialization will be a bridge that will help people get into the field regardless of their background,” notes Daria Denisova, the head of the Master’s program and the director of ITMO’s Center for Science Communication.

The specialization’s invited experts are Alexander Krainov, the director for development of artificial intelligence technologies at Yandex, and Andrey Sebrant, the product marketing director at Yandex. After completing the major, students will be able to work as producers of popular science content, IT communicators, or PR specialists at IT companies, services, and startups. Students of Science Communication who will start their studies this academic year will be able to choose the track in the first semester.