From Software development for onboard computers for ballistic missiles to Software for large IT companies.
The Department of Software Engineering and Management Intelligent Technologies (previously – the Department of Automated Systems Management) has successfully carried out educational activities for already 60 years – in 2014, the department celebrated its half-century anniversary. It originated in 1964, when Areh Vagarshakovich Dabahian, a Professor of the Kharkov Polytechnic Institute, together with Vladimir Grigorievich Sergeyev, Chief Designer of Electropribor Design Bureau, founded the department intended to train research engineers in the field of automatic motion control. In 1977, the Department of AMC was reorganized into the Department of ASM, and in 2015 renamed into the Department of Software Engineering and Management Information Technologies (SEMIT).
In connection with the reorganization of NTU “KhPI” in January 2022, the Department of Information Systems and Technologies was separated into anindividual unit (trains students in the 126th specialty of the same name), and the SEMIT Department changed its name, turning into the Department of Software Engineering and Management Intelligent Technologies, which was headed by Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof. Ihor Petrovich Hamayun. From 1 January 2024, Ph.D., Associate Professor Andrii Mykhailovych Kopp became the head of the department.
The training of specialists was carried out according to the original curricula developed personally by A.V. Dabahian: for the first time in the country, the study of computer programming on the ECM began for students in the first semester. During the first years of the department activities, the main ordering party of the ARW was the Electropribor Design Bureau, whose executive management initiated the establishment of the department. The staff of the department was able to declare itself to be a highly qualified and reliable partner in solving complex scientific and technical problems associated with the creation of control systems for technical objects operated on earth and in space.
In the 70-90 years. the department efficiently collaborated with the Scientific Research Institute of Cosmonauts Training Center n.a. Y.A. Gagarin (Moscow), DB “Elektropribor” (Kharkiv), National Research Institute of Civil Aviation (Moscow), Scientific Research Institute CA “Aeroproject” (Moscow), Scientific Research Institute “Agat” (Moscow) and other leading enterprises of the industry. Since the late 90s the department has begun to work with the National Department of the Insurance Documentation Fund of Ukraine (Kharkiv); economic agreements have been concluded with Kharkiv enterprises: DB “Promavtomatika”, LLC “ASMgazservis”, and the regional gas production department “KharkivGazDobycha”.
In 1964, the postgraduate training program was opened at the department. So far, the department has trained more than 100 Research Doctorates, many of them have become Doctors of Science. These is I.P. Hamayun – Head of the SEMIT Department, M.D. Hodlevskyi – Director of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies, B.I. Kuznetsov – head of the Magnetic Field Problems Department of the Scientific and Technical Center of Technical Objects Magnetism of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, V.P. Avramov – founder of the Department of Information Technologies and Systems of Tracked and Wheeled Vehicles named after A.A. Morozov, Y.T. Kostenko – Head of Kharkov Polytechnic University, A.S. Kutsenko – Head of the System Analysis and Analytical Information Technologies Department (1996-2021), V.Y. Zaruba – Head of the Department of Economic Cybernetics and Marketing Management, I.V. Kononenko – Head of the Department of Strategic Management (2000-2021), N.V. Tkachuk – Head of the Department of Systems and Technologies Modeling of Karazin University, L.A. Hambarov – Professor of the SEMIT Department and others.
One of the most important aspects of the department’s activities aimed at improving the quality of education and expanding the range of scientific research is cooperation with foreign partners: with the University of Klagenfurt (Austria), Linneus University (Sweden), Hamburg Technical University (Germany), Paris-North University XIII (France), Maribor University (Slovenia), VSEMvs University (Slovakia) and Poznan University of Economics and Business (Poland). Since 2015, the Department has been a partner of the international educational project MASTIS.
Today, the department provides training in 2 specialties: “121 – Software Engineering” and “122 – Computer Science”. In the educational process, the department implements innovative pedagogical technologies.
For more than 15 years specialists in English have been trained. A system of project training based on the Innovation Campus has been introduced, where, after appropriate training, students work on real projects.
On the basis of the department’s Master’s degree, a unique project is being implemented – a dual training system (synthesis of theoretical training and paid practical work), which allows reducing the graduate’s adaptation period in the labor market by 2-3 years, acquiring the official work experience necessary for further professional growth.
A high level of educational and methodological work allows providing graduates with employment not only in leading IT companies in Kharkov and Ukraine (over 30 companies of different sizes: EPAM, Telesens, NIX Solutions, Sigma and others), but also in IT enterprises of international level (Google, Siemens, Facebook and others). Lecturers of the SEMIT Department also combine teaching activities with work in IT companies.
The main goal of the Department of Software Engineering and Management Intelligent Technologies NTU “KhPI” has always been the fundamental training of specialists in the field of information systems and technologies. This approach was laid down in the 60-70s of the previous century and fully justified itself in subsequent years. Many graduates of the department have become famous scientists, university professors, heads of large enterprises and organizations, have achieved significant success in business.
The keys to the success of the department in science and education are: a high level of training of students in the field of computer mathematics, information technology and foreign languages based on a careful selection of applicants; professionalism of the teaching staff of the department; high level of computer equipment. The goal of the department is to train qualified specialists that meet the highest standards, and for the past 55 years this problem has been solved by the teaching staff at the world level.