Informatics and computer engineering. What do they teach in the specialties “Informatics and Computer Science” and “Information Systems and Technologies”? How do they differ from each other?

Final exams are just around the corner. Which will inevitably be followed by graduates thinking about what to do (how to live) next?

I imagined myself in the role of a high school student who decided, for one reason or another (for example, after studying a review of supply/demand in the IT labor market, or under the impression of words about an expansion by 35% of the number of budget places in universities in IT specialties) to enter technical university and become a highly qualified programmer.

Let me remind you that this kind of specialty is one of the 23 “leaves” of the tree-like “European Classification of IT Specialists”. In addition, this is the name of one of the professional standards in the field of IT, developed under the auspices of APCIT and approved by order of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation.

On the website of one of the universities of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications (so as not to be accused of advertising it, I will not disclose the name of this university) I read the following lines:

"The Faculty of Information Technologies *** provides training to students in several areas in the field of infocommunications and information technologies.
1. Direction “Informatics and Computer Science”, profile "Computer software and automated systems." Graduates of this profile are highly qualified programmers, the demand for whom in the labor market is constantly growing and will not decrease in the foreseeable future. Almost all graduates work in their specialty and have earnings significantly higher than the regional average. The demand for such specialists is great in any industry, in the banking sector, in the development and operation of information systems. There is also master’s training in this area at ***.”

There is no approximate information about the earnings of university graduates, the percentage of those employed in their specialty after completing a bachelor's or master's degree, as well as the number of budget places in this area and information about the passing score in the annotation of this area. Which, of course, is sad. But it is clear that if an applicant has decided to become a highly qualified programmer, then it makes sense for him to consider studying at a given university in this area as one of the possible options for his career growth.

However, it is interesting to note that a profile with the same name “Software for computer technology and automated systems” also appears in the annotation of another area of training for specialists at this university.

Here is what it says on the website of the Faculty of Information Technology of the above-mentioned educational institution ***:

“2. Direction “Information systems and technologies”, profile with the same name. Graduates of this profile are highly qualified specialists in the field of design, development and implementation of various types of information systems, currently used in almost any field of activity. The need for specialists in this profile is very great and a graduate can easily get a job in any company he likes. Graduates *** of this direction develop information websites of companies, create databases, including for distributed information systems.”

Please note: in the annotation of this direction there are no words like “Almost all graduates work in their specialty and have earnings significantly higher than the regional average. The demand for such specialists is great here and there... There is also master’s training in this area in ***.” It turns out that the demand for programmers who completed training in the field of “Information Systems and Technologies” at the university *** is lower than for programmers who completed training in the field of “Informatics and Computer Science” at the same university?

So in which area of the Federal State Educational Standard of Higher Professional Education (federal state educational standard of higher professional education) is it better to study for those who want to become a highly qualified programmer: 03/09/01 (“Informatics and Computer Science”) or 03/09/02 (“Information Systems and Technologies”)? What do you think about this? And in general, by what criteria should an applicant who has decided to become a highly qualified programmer or other IT specialist choose a university?

Here’s another note on the topic of this post: “Yes, everything is wrong with IT education. But what should we do?” . It was written in October last year and, among other things, it notes that this problem with the lack of IT specialists in the required quantity and quality did not arise yesterday and will not be solved tomorrow. And it’s not a fact that it will be decided at all. At best, it will only be smoothed out to one degree or another. It is also noted that every year up to 25 thousand IT specialists graduate from educational institutions of higher education in Russia. Moreover, today only 15-20% of engineering graduates are suitable for immediate employment in the field of information technology. That is, applicants should choose a university and faculty very carefully. In order to get into those same 15-20% of graduates who are suitable for immediate employment in the field of information technology.

Another question arises. Why “Future Russian IT specialists are not guided in choosing a specialty”? Is it due to the lack of a competent career guidance system in the country or due to the fact that technical universities, whose educational programs include IT specialties, cannot competently present themselves (their educational services) (praise, advertise)? Or maybe the reason is that IT companies hold “Open Days” or other events aimed at future IT specialists not so often and not at the proper level?

Diagram from note

In our rapidly changing modern age, computer science and computing have become not just the norm of life, but have become our life. The quality of human existence begins to depend on how successfully people understand them. If a person knows how to handle computer equipment on a first-name basis, then he lives in the rhythm of time and success always awaits him.

The very word “computer science” in almost all languages of the world means a science that is related to computing technology or computers. More specifically, this term has the following definition: this is the name of science, which has as its main task the study of various methods of obtaining, storing, accumulating, transmitting, transforming, and using information.

Applied computer science includes its use in society, software, the fight against computer viruses and the information society. Informatics and computing technology are used in modern life in several main areas:

Development of computer systems and necessary software;

Information theory, which studies all processes associated with it;

Artificial intelligence methods;

System analysis;

Methods of machine animation and graphics;

Telecommunications, which include global ones;

A variety of applications that cover almost all aspects of human activity.

There is no doubt that developing technological progress has an important impact on our lives and constantly presents humanity with new opportunities for obtaining, collecting and storing information.

The core subject when entering a university to major in computer science is mathematics, as well as physics and ICT. On average in Russia, for admission it is enough to score in these subjects and the Russian language on the EGE from 35 to 80 points. The passing score depends on the prestige of the educational institution and the competition within it. Sometimes, at the discretion of the university, knowledge of foreign languages may be required for admission.

Specialty "applied computer science"

The most modern, progressive and promising direction in the study of IT is applied computer science. This is an innovative direction that involves a creative approach during subsequent work in the specialty “applied computer science”.

The code of the specialty "Applied Informatics" is 03/09/03. It is also called computer science ICT. The specialty is studied at many faculties - economics, law, management and education, as an additional subject. The specialty involves the study of programming languages and foreign languages, but the emphasis is on the practical application of these skills in various information systems.

Specialty "Business Informatics"

According to the classifier "Business Informatics" the code is 38.03.05. This specialty is quite new and appeared only in 2009. Accordingly, when choosing the specialty “business informatics”, who to work for a student is an important question. Business informatics allows you to obtain qualifications as a designer, optimizer and administrator of systems and processes of business programs.

In order for a student to be able to obtain a specialty in business informatics, universities teach how to conduct analytics, plan and organize IT projects of various levels of complexity. In addition to logical thinking and a technical mindset, students in the direction of 03.38.05 are required to have analytical skills, communication skills and leadership skills.

Specialty "Informatics and Computer Science"

Under the code 09.03.01 in the classification is the specialty "Informatics and Computer Science". Everyone decides who to work with such qualifications for themselves, based on the acquired knowledge in the areas of software development, IT design and information security. During the training period, students master high-level programming languages, and OS and local network administration skills.

Training in the direction of 03/09/01 takes 4 years. Despite the relatively short training period, the field of “Informatics and Computer Science” is considered one of the most difficult, since it involves acquiring skills for developing programs and algorithms.

Specialty "applied computer science in economics"

Applied computer science with an emphasis on economics is a subsection of “Mathematical support and administration of information systems” 03/02/03 for bachelor’s degrees and 04/02/03 for master’s degrees. Computer science with the additional specialty of “economist” allows you to create, implement and maintain software in the field of economics, analyzing its operation and algorithms.

A student who has received an education in the field of “applied computer science in economics” is able to solve functional problems and operate financial and material flows using special software.

"Mathematics and Computer Science" - specialty

Applied mathematics and computer science is a specialty in universities according to code 01.03.02 in bachelor’s programs and according to code 01.04.02 in master’s programs. As opposed to narrow specialists in the fields of economics, education and law, “Mathematics and Computer Science” allows you to apply the acquired skills in any work that involves the use of software, ICT, communication networks and systems, and conducting mathematical calculations. The student will be able to apply the acquired skills in analytical, scientific, design and technological fields.

Computer science and control systems - specialty

At the department of "Informatics and Control Systems" the directions of the section "Informatics and Computer Science" are studied 09.00.00. Students gain skills in the areas of 3D modeling, WEB development, information security technology, design of intelligent control systems and development of microprocessor systems.

Computer science and statistics - specialties

The Department of Computer Science and Statistics allows students to obtain qualifications in the specialties of the Information Security section 10.00.00. The department teaches special disciplines that are aimed at ensuring information security in specialties 10.05.01-05 and interaction with relevant software.

"Fundamental computer science and information technology" - specialty

The bachelor's level specialty in the direction 02.03.02 "Fundamental computer science and information technology" is aimed at system mathematical programming, information processing and management of communication systems. In addition to programming, the student gains knowledge in the areas of design and sound processing, and can manage telecommunications objects.

Institutes specializing in computer science

There are more than 50 universities in Russia that offer training to students in computer science fields.

At Russian institutes you can gain skills to work as a programmer, developer, information systems engineer, designer, and administrator of local and WEB networks. The specialty of computer science teacher is also being studied at universities at the master's level, in the areas of 04/02/01 and 04/09/02.

College - specialty "applied computer science"

The specialty “applied computer science” at the college was not included in the list of specialty codes from 2015. Training in applied computer science on the basis of a diploma gives graduates the right to obtain the qualification “Programmer Technician” without passing the Unified State Exam. The training lasts 3-4 years and opens up opportunities to work in any enterprise as a programmer.

Where can you work in computer science?

One of the most popular technical specialties nowadays is computer science. Therefore, many graduates who receive high scores in mathematics choose the IT field. Specialties related to computer science can be divided into fundamental, applied and additional.

Depending on the choice, the student learns to interact with various systems at stages from development to administration and practical use in various computing areas.