Based on a number of studies, an international ranking of the best universities in Russia producing IT specialists (information technology specialists) was compiled.

Part 1. International rankings

Information Technology(IT, also - information and communication technologies - processes, methods of searching, collecting, storing, processing, providing, distributing information and methods of implementing such processes and methods, techniques, methods and methods of using tools computer technology when performing the functions of collecting, storing, processing, transmitting and using data, the resources necessary for collecting, processing, storing and distributing information.

Information systems and technology professionals are often referred to as IT or IT specialists.

The IT industry is an extremely dynamic area of ​​activity in modern society. Digital technologies affect all aspects of human life. The dynamics of development of the IT industry are so fast that it is extremely difficult for universities to train a modern, highly qualified specialist.

Entire areas of IT may become obsolete while still studying at university. In these conditions, the training of highly qualified personnel is an important and pressing issue both for the IT industry in particular and for all of humanity in general.

This study was carried out in order to assess the demand for graduates of various universities and determine the quality of education in Russian universities that train specialists in the field of « Information Technology» .

The study contains an overview of various issues of the functioning of Russian higher professional education in the field of IT, main trends, and analyzes various ratings of universities producing IT specialists.

The assessment was carried out on the basis of a quantitative analysis of data from an open database of resumes from a Russian online recruitment company HeadHunter. The study examined more than 17,000 resumes of university graduates from 2006 to 2017.

The main criteria were:

• salary expectations from 100,000 rubles. up to 500,000 rub.
• Experience from 1 year;
• professional field – information technology;
• geography of research - Russia.

As a result of the analysis, the following ratings were compiled:

• universities whose graduates earn more;
• cities with the greatest demand and supply in the IT vacancy market;
• salary expectations of IT specialists.

Dynamics of Russian IT education

After the decline in demand for IT specialists observed during the financial crisis, the demand for these professions began to increase. Thus, starting from 2016, a clear positive trend in the growth of the number of vacancies can be seen on the market. The average salary in 2016 increased by 8%.

The information technology sector remains second in demand after sales. Salaries of IT specialists in 2017 increased by about 10%, and in some, especially scarce areas, the increase was up to 25% or higher.

It is expected that the demand for IT specialists will continue to grow in 2018.

The IT sector is characterized by rapid changes in the technologies, solutions and products used. In turn, the emergence of new technologies entails a sharp surge in the need for relevant specialists.

Thus, in 2016-2017, the widespread use of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies caused a natural increase in demand for specialists in this field. The situation is such that, for example, a payroll accountant now and 10 years ago is the same person who has only changed tools a little, and in the IT field 5 years ago some vacancies did not exist, while others, on the contrary, ceased to be relevant by now. 2018.

Universities in our former Soviet republics are not lagging behind Russian universities. The Ukrainian IT School occupies a particularly strong position, among which stands out Kharkov National University of Radio Electronics, which produces highly qualified specialists in the IT field ().

The educational programs of classical universities have difficulty adapting to such rapid changes in the market. However, the situation is not so dire. If we compare it with the late 90s and early 2000s, when mass computerization took place and there was practically no quality education in the field of IT, now the situation has improved significantly.

Thus, in 2015, changes were made to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, according to which professional standards regulating the level of education of an employee began to apply in state-owned companies.

This means that a lawyer or chemical engineer by training will not get a job as a software engineer in a state-owned company, even if his experience in programming is significant.

Moreover, today, Russian universities have significantly improved the quality of education. In 2017, 8 Russian universities were included in the international subject rankings QS Computer Science & Information Systems.

Moreover, Moscow State University named after. Lomonosov entered the top 100 world universities in this area, taking 48th place. Also, an authoritative world ranking The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 in the field of Computer Science contains a large number of Russian universities.

Russian universities in world subject rankings of universities, 2017 - 2018.

Ranking according to QS Computer Science & Information Systems 2017"

• 401–450 Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University

Place in the ranking according to " THE Computer Science 2018"

• 194 Lomonosov Moscow State University
• 251–300 Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
• 301–350 Tomsk Polytechnic University
• 351–400 Higher School of Economics
• 401–500 Kazan Federal University
• 401–500 National Research Nuclear University MEPhI
• 401–500 Novosibirsk State University
• 401–500 Saint Petersburg State University
• 501–600 ITMO University
• 501–600 Tomsk State University

Russian programmers, and in recent years “Russian hackers” are a global brand. For the last six years, the ACM ICPC Team Programming Champions Cup has gone to St. Petersburg, either to ITMO University or to St. Petersburg State University.

It is worth noting that the Russian scientific and educational community is already considering various options for IT professions of the future. Thus, the study “Atlas of New Professions” gives a long-term forecast of in-demand professions in the field of information technology.

IT is one of the fastest growing areas of the economy. The changes taking place in it open up new and, at first glance, fantastic opportunities in other areas - for example, in design, transportation, people and resource management, marketing and education.

It is worth noting that since the publication of the study in 2015, some of the professions described in it are already found in business practice. Among such professions are IT auditor, interface designer, Big Data developer.

Forecast of new IT specialties that will appear in the near future

• Curator information security

This year, just over 708 thousand children graduated from school in Russia. Of these, 55 thousand took the Unified State Exam in computer science. That is, about 7.8% of applicants plan to connect their lives with information technology. But here’s the problem: when choosing a specialty (and there are dozens of them related to new technologies), the guys don’t really imagine what they will do after receiving their diploma. Many people rely on the name of their specialty, the stories of older kids, or the prestige of the university.

Komsomolskaya Pravda found out which IT specialties will be in demand in 3-4 years and which universities train the best professionals.

Information technologies have penetrated almost all areas of our lives. Very soon, the volumes of information will be measured in zettabytes (that’s 10 to the 21st power), and it will be extremely important to manage these vast quantities, our experts believe - candidate technical sciences, head of the education system department of the Department of Strategic Technologies at Microsoft, Alexander Gavrilov, and director of the research and education department at Mail.Ru Group, Dmitry Voloshin.

1. “Datascientist”- specialist in working with large volumes of data

Big data is a popular and promising direction in computer science. What it is? This is the collection and systematization of information of huge volumes and diverse composition. It is necessary to analyze the information array as a whole and take serious decisions based on it. management decisions. At first glance, this seems understandable, but such work requires very specific competencies. “A data scientist is a person who ideally has a technical background; he can be a programmer, an analyst, or a business architect. He also has a scientific background, skills and abilities to analyze information and put forward hypotheses,” says Dmitry Voloshin.

2. Cloud Computing Specialist

Cloud data storage is powerful virtual servers, on which user data is stored. Due to the fact that data is stored in so-called “clouds”, it is not attached to a specific PC and can be retrieved from devices that are less powerful than the server. That's how they work Google drives and Yandex, Mail.Ru Files, Apple iCloud service, or even Google chrome, which remembers the user’s bookmarks, passwords and browser history. Experts predict a rapid growth in the number of such systems in the coming years, and there are very few specialists to develop them. So it’s time to learn how to develop “clouds”; after graduating from university there will be no problems with employment.

3. Developer mobile applications

There is no point in explaining what it is. Smartphone = mobile applications. Each new application is more interesting and complex than the previous one, and new specializations in this area are emerging. For example, programmers for a specific platform, specialists in graphical interfaces, mobile application testers “As tablets and smartphones penetrate the market, as communication channels improve, there is a huge need (I am not exaggerating), namely a huge need for relevant developers. Now this is one of the main trends, a large number of startups are appearing on this topic,” comments Dmitry Voloshin.

4. Robotics Specialist

This is no longer a new direction in IT, but now it is rapidly gaining momentum. The field is very complex, it includes electronics, mechanics, and computer science. “In fact, I would compare a robot programmer to a surgeon who performs operations,” says Dmitry Voloshin. But it is possible to learn this, and it is also very necessary. Employers are waiting.

5. Information security specialist

Another broad area with many branches. This includes the development of antiviruses and the protection of electronic payment systems - in general, everything that will help information be protected.

6. Comprehensive automation of business processes

Automation is needed to quickly solve various business problems. With the help of IT solutions, you can speed up almost any business process: from attracting new clients to paying salaries. But all processes in business are interconnected, so complex automation is more effective and simpler.

Alexander Gavrilov also highlights interdisciplinary areas, such as bioinformatics. Programmers on 1C, C++, Java and other platforms are always in demand. “Good programmers are swept away at once. All the guys who know how and want to program will certainly find a job in a very short time,” Dmitry Voloshin assures students and applicants.

I would go into IT... But where should I go?

Between higher education and real work as always there is a distance. It is impossible to study to become a mobile application developer, a business analyst, or a cloud computing specialist. This is understandable. “Even 5 years ago, none of the specialties listed above existed,” says Alexander Gavrilov. But this is not a reason to give up higher education and decide that you will learn everything yourself. University training provides the foundation for the development of a specialist. Besides, this is the kind of country we have, without a diploma they won’t take you anywhere. And technical universities open doors to big companies.

When asked about the employment of students after graduating from universities, Dmitry Voloshin answers unequivocally: “Well, only losers don’t get jobs, excuse the frankness. 70% of the guys work while still studying in their 3rd or 4th year.”

The best universities that train IT specialists

1. MSTU im. N.E. Bauman

In Baumanka it is worth trying your luck at the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems and the Faculty of Robotics and Integrated Automation. True, if you fail, you shouldn’t be upset. Any department at this university, even management, provides strong technical training. The university holds its own Olympiad “Step into the Future”; its winners and runners-up enter without exams.

2. Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. Lomonosov

Fundamental theoretical training is provided here; many graduates go into science upon graduation. The competition for a place is 5-5.5 people, but there are a lot of budget places: 335. Do not forget that Moscow State University has the privilege of conducting an additional entrance test, so the Unified State Exam results alone will not be enough. Again, the university has its own Olympiads “Lomonosov” and “Conquer the Sparrow Hills”. Diploma holders of these Olympiads enter without exams, or receive 100 points in one of the subjects.

3. MIPT

Here, IT specialists are trained at three faculties: radio engineering and cybernetics, management and applied mathematics, innovation and high technology. On average, competition for these faculties last year was 2.2 people per place, which is not so much. Although the scores required are quite high. With the help of the Phystech Olympiad, you can enter MIPT without exams, and there are many other Olympiads that provide advantages for admission. For example, “Start in Science” and visiting Olympiads.

4. MEPhI

The competition at MEPhI is big; in the field of business informatics in 2012 there were as many as 16 people per place. But you can apply to 5 universities at once. So why not take a chance and feel the spirit of competition in one of them?

5. MESI

Here, IT specialists are trained by as many as 5 faculties: business informatics, informatics and computer science, information security, software and information systems administration, and applied informatics. It is quite possible to enter there; the average passing score for these faculties last year was 216 for 3 exams.

It is also worth paying attention to the Faculty of Business Informatics of the National Research University Higher School of Economics: they give good base practice-oriented. You can become a worthy specialist by studying at MIREA and St. Petersburg State University at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics - Control Processes. Among the universities in St. Petersburg, NRU ITMO is a worthy alternative to Moscow universities.

Among regional universities, experts singled out Kazan (Volga Region) and Southern Federal Universities, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Nizhny Novgorod State Universities.

All universities accept winners and prize-winners of the final stage of the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren in specialized subjects and members of International national subject Olympiads without exams.

In the age of information technology, information protection has become the most important area in the fight against fraud and competitors. The inviolability of financial flows, secrecy of developments and strategic decisions are one of the indispensable conditions for business stability and prosperity. Therefore, computer security specialists are not in danger of unemployment. And the universities that prepare them do not have problems recruiting freshmen.

In modern reality, the most valuable are intangible assets - intellectual property and information. They are the ones who most often become the target of hunting for unscrupulous competitors, scammers and adventurers of all stripes. Modern technologies make it possible to transmit information in dozens of ways. Exchange, Skype and others like that virtual services- not only convenient, but also certainly vulnerable channels. Recent years Twenty all over the world there is an endless struggle between those who strive by hook or by crook to maintain the confidentiality of stored and transmitted data, and those who are not averse to taking advantage of “holes” in electronic security systems. With the transition to virtual payments between banks, clients and even individuals, with the widespread introduction of electronic ticket systems, financial fraud received a powerful impetus for development and reached a qualitatively higher level. new level development. And services for protecting banking information and personal data (including logins and passwords for accessing individual accounts) have become in demand more than ever before.

Recent example: one of mobile operators announced the "launch" new service. By using plastic cards international payment systems registered for a specific phone number, everyone was offered to make payments to any accounts. As a result, a good idea turned into a disaster: electronic swindlers learned to gain access to subscriber numbers and, accordingly, to their bank accounts.

Today, information security is becoming one of the priority areas for business development and preservation. Many companies from various sectors of the economy create their own electronic security services or, at a minimum, turn to the services of specialized firms. But so far, according to the annual international study in the field of information security by Ernst & Young, an IT risk management program that can prevent threats associated with the use of new technologies has been implemented in less than a third of international companies.

According to this study, half of the CEO respondents plan to increase data loss prevention costs in the near future. In this regard, they are making changes to information policy, introducing encryption technologies, and strengthening control over user identification.

Therefore, the demand for information security specialists continues to exceed supply.

The first step to a promising job is higher education in the specialties “Information Security” (RGGU, MSLU, MGUPS), “Ensuring Information Security automated systems"(MSTU, MESI, MEPhI, MGUPI), "Comprehensive protection of informatization objects" (MIET, MAI, MEPhI, MPEI), "Information security of telecommunication systems" (MTUSI, MIREA, MATI).

Institute of Cryptography, Communications and Informatics of the FSB Academy

The oldest educational institution in this area, founded in 1949 during the Cold War. He began his work as a closed department of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University - and this says a lot. In information security and programming, mainly people with outstanding mathematical abilities can work. Those interested can watch, for example, the film “Hacker” with young Angelina Jolie, which tells the real story of a young genius who hacked computer codes New York Stock Exchange (through which multi-billion dollar financial flows pass) and was put under house arrest for 7 years for this.

In former times, the Institute of Cryptography of the FSB Academy trained developers of ciphers and encryption equipment, now programmers. Employees of Russian software companies state that almost a third of the staff of Microsoft, Oracle, and Google corporations consists of Russian programmers and information security specialists. Now many graduates of the FSB Academy join the ranks of FAPSI (Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information), others work, for example, in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Federation.

It is on the basis of ICSI that the Educational and Methodological Association has been created in all main areas one way or another related to information security. The institute trains specialists in six specialties: cryptography, applied mathematics and computer science, information security of telecommunication systems, radio-electronic systems, computer security, computers, complexes, systems and networks.

Since the university belongs to the law enforcement department, along with special subjects, all students undergo military training. There are certain “peculiarities” during admission: it is necessary from October of the year before admission to begin undergoing a medical and psychological examination, to provide a recommendation and characterization of a familiar FSB officer. This measure “cuts off” a certain number of applicants, but the competition is still quite high: at least 3-4 people per place. The passing score on the Unified State Exam is not disclosed.

Winning an Olympiad in cryptography at the FSB Academy or an Olympiad in mathematics and physics can make admission easier. A correspondence school of physics and mathematics operates for applicants.

MSTU im. Bauman

The country's leading technical university trains engineers in the specialty “Computer Security” at the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems. This is one of the most prestigious faculties of MSTU, the passing score here is no less than 260 in three Unified State Examinations (Russian, mathematics, physics).

Therefore, all other faculties of MSTU are trying to open areas close to IT in order to attract applicants. Primarily, this faculty is engaged in the creation of navigation, orientation, stabilization devices for weapons, robots, satellites, etc. Therefore, students deeply study automated control systems, computer networks and ways to protect signals transmitted to remote objects from enemy interception. Specialization in departments (only two out of ten at the faculty are directly related to cryptography and information security) occurs after the second year. One of the real options for entering the Faculty of IU is participation in the “Step into the Future” Olympiad: here schoolchildren prepare a project for a year under the guidance of teachers from MSTU. As a result, about 45% of Olympiad participants receive various benefits upon admission.

Already within the walls of the faculty, many students receive “assignment” to military design and scientific institutes. The last three years of study here, as at MIPT, people spend at least one day a week working and practicing at a specialized research institute. The best ones are left to work there, although the salaries, unfortunately, are not comparable with bank ones: for example, in a bank an information security specialist after 4-5 years of work can easily receive 140-150 thousand rubles per month, which is very rare in a government structure.

"Baumanka" is not only an educational institution, but also a research center. IT systems are developed here for the space industry, nuclear energy, mechanical engineering and other industries. The development of electronic devices and systems is actively underway. The university has several sponsored lyceums and schools (Lyceum No. 1580 at the Chertanovskaya metro station, Lyceum No. 1501 at the Mendeleevskaya metro station, Municipal Educational Institution "Lyceum" in Reutov, school No. 315 at the Sokolniki metro station, etc.) , many IU students come from there.

Personal experience

Alena Zaitseva, graduate of Moscow State Technical University. Bauman:

When I entered the university, the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems had the highest passing score. We came to IU as a group: we studied at the Lyceum at Baumanka, we knew the requirements of the university well, so we managed to get into the most prestigious faculty.
At the university, great attention was paid to programming, even in non-core faculties. We worked extensively on mathematical modeling and building systems. Much of what has now become commonplace was then created literally before our eyes, and with our direct participation. We studied very hard and not only during the session: the MSTU system requires mandatory extracurricular scientific work. In our case, under the guidance of teachers, we created and tested security systems. An interesting experience was the creation of a program designed, on the contrary, to overcome any, even the most sophisticated security system.
“Baumanians” have no problems with employment: employers themselves come to the university and “lure” talented students. We all started working in our third or fourth year. After graduation, the professional careers of my fellow students developed differently. But everyone is connected with the IT sphere in one way or another. I work for a large company that promotes IT products and services to the market. My husband develops databases and information sharing programs for the travel industry. Our friend runs the computer security service at a bank.

MIPT

“Phystech” was also created in the 40s by analogy with the American CallTech (California Technological University, Pentagon base). Initially, the atomic bomb, new generation weapons and information systems for remote control with this weapon.

Future information defenders entering MIPT have a direct route to the Faculty of Radio Engineering and Cybernetics. The course “Information Security” is taught by the Department of Radio Engineering (since the time when the main encoded information was transmitted by “radio operator Kat”, and not by a computer). Its base is the All-Russian Research Institute for Problems of Computer Science and Information Technology, headed by member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Valery Konyavsky. Students study high-level programming languages, communication systems and networks, discrete mathematics, financial cryptography, and information security from technical intelligence. Often they become employees of the mentioned research institute, but they can also solve security issues in e-commerce (Yandex.Money payment systems, etc., paying for purchases in online stores using plastic card codes). The Physics and Technology Institute has developed its own comprehensive information training system and opened an Information Security Center. Students and teachers annually participate in the cryptography conference “Russcripto”.

The passing score for “Information Protection” at the Physics and Technology Institute is 269 points out of 300 possible (Russian, mathematics, physics), at the Faculty of Innovation and High Technologies - 260 points.

MEPhI

Here we are talking about protecting the safety of automated control systems for nuclear facilities. The Faculty of Information Security has 50 budget places. The passing grade in three subjects (Russian, mathematics, physics) last year was 240 points. Students deeply study not only discrete mathematics and programming, but also English language. You can choose special courses on banking telecommunication systems and their means of protection, systems for protecting banking information, and physical protection of critical facilities. Here they also study video surveillance systems, data collection and processing, means of detecting physical protection, and the design of fire and security alarm systems.
The faculty carries out its work in close contact with the FSTEC of Russia, Rosatom, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Sberbank of the Russian Federation, VTB (Vneshtorgbank).

RSUH

At the Faculty of Information Security of the Institute of Information Sciences and Information Security Technologies of the Russian State University for the Humanities, training is conducted in two specialties: “organization and technology of information security” and “comprehensive protection of information objects.” The approach to the very concept of information security at the Russian State University for the Humanities is not the same as at technical universities: the main emphasis is on legal, methodological and organizational aspects. Initially, the faculty trained archivists and specialists in storing documents classified as “secret” in the libraries of the research institute.

RSUH traditionally cannot “boast” big amount budget places: in some faculties their number does not exceed 5-10 for each specialty. Against this background, the Faculty of Information Security is “lucky”: there are about 40 budget places. Therefore, in three subjects (Russian, mathematics, computer science) it was necessary to score only 182-197 points (depending on the specialty).

MIREA

The Faculty of Cybernetics of MIREA is also a typical “military” faculty. Here they study not only mathematics, physics and programming, but also quantum and optical electronics (the direction in which the Russians were the strongest in the world back in the 80s), electrodynamics, the basics of qualimetry, speech converting devices, digital processing signals.

MIREA has 50 budget places in “computer security” and another 50 in “information security of telecommunication systems.” True, 40 places in the first direction are occupied by “target students”: applicants who have entered into a contract with a certain state-owned enterprise of the Ministry of Defense to work for 3-5 years after graduation. In the targeted recruitment for “computer security”, people with 146-230 points on three Unified State Examinations (Russian, mathematics, physics) passed, in the general competition - with no less than 192 points on the same Unified State Examination. For the second specialty, two target students and applicants with a minimum passing score of 173 points were accepted on the same Unified State Examination.

Students in the field of “information security of telecommunication systems” study at the basic department of digital devices and information security systems. It is headed by the director of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Research Institute of Automation", where many graduates will have to work. The research institute deals with the problems of government and classified communications, nuclear detonation systems, neutron generators and much more. Its products are exported through Rosoboronexport, where MIREA graduates can also work. Students of “computer security” - at the department of the same name, study cryptography with prospects of working in the FSB and FAPSI.

Moscow Academy (Moscow Institute) of Integrated Security

A non-state educational institution on the basis of which training in higher and higher education programs is carried out additional education. In 1997, the founders of the academy were a number of law enforcement agencies.

The only private institute ranked among the top five universities in information security.

The university annually hosts international conferences on information security, organized by both the administration of the institute and various foundations and centers.

The specialist and bachelor's degree programs of the Faculty of Information Security are accepted according to Unified State Exam results in mathematics, computer science and Russian language.

Compared to other universities, in order to enter the academy, it is enough to score 150-170 points in three exams. Is it true, free training not provided.

Yulia Kochanova, magazine Where to go to study No. 46

This specialty is in the spirit of the times, so to speak. It can give you knowledge that will definitely be in demand in the modern information technology world. Information systems everywhere. The ability to work with information in every sense will give you a guaranteed place in the labor market. As part of the specialty, students will study a number of highly specialized disciplines (may vary and be supplemented depending on the profile): tools, modeling and IS architecture, computer graphics, programming and database technologies, information processing technology, computer science theory, information and network technologies. The priority objective of the course is to train a young specialist who will be able to realize himself in any field related to computerization, automation, and information technology. Here you cannot do without a love for the exact sciences, the knowledge of which is tested on applicants. *

* Kit academic disciplines and learning bias