Master’s programs

Design and Development of AI Systems

Faculty of Software Engineering and Computer Systems

Format of study

full-time

Language

russian

Place of study

st. petersburg, russia

Outcome (diploma/credits)

master of science

Duration

2 year

Annual tuition fee

710 000 ₽

Application deadline

28 august 2026

Special features

AI-focused programs

Program manager

Mariya Aleksandrovna Solodkaya

msolodkaya@itmo.ru

+7 (967) 269-00-56

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Entrance exams (GMT+3)

Subject areas

09.04.04

Проектирование и разработка систем искусственного интеллекта

Tuition-free

Fee-based

About the program

The Design and Development of AI Systems Master’s program trains AI architects who know how to determine architectures of AI systems and approaches to their design, choose the appropriate AI technology stack, develop and deploy ML systems.The program is intended for graduates with a programming background. Students will learn to distinguish all stages of MLOps; understand the specifics of ML methods and technologies and their implementation in production systems; gather business requirements; solve associated issues; develop architectures of ML systems, including inference models; justify the choice of metrics; and build monitoring systems and support models. During your studies, you will apply custom production servers to train models, computer clusters, and such tools as MLflow, Airflow, DVC, TensorBoard, ClearML, etc.

Program partners

Program team

Curriculum

Explore your curriculum (in Russian) to see what you will study

Career

Graduates can work as ML engineers or AI architects.

You will get to work at these companies

Or at ITMO’s laboratories

OUR GRADUATES

All Bachelor’s graduates are facing the challenge of finding a Master’s program that will let them explore technologies of their choice and...
All Bachelor’s graduates are facing the challenge of finding a Master’s program that will let them explore technologies of their choice and kick-start their scientific career. I was once one of them and haven’t ever regretted that I settled on Design and Development of AI Systems at ITMO University. The program was a source of invaluable knowledge in the field of AI for me, from theory to practice. Over the course of training, we learned to implement the architectures of neural networks for computer vision applications and natural language processing and then trained them; we also created functioning ML pipelines, as well as worked with DVC, CI/CD, and vector databases. I met lots of people I can safely call my friends now. A special thanks goes to the program’s lecturers. They are true specialists who are always ready to help, whether in terms of studies or your future career.
Show all
Mihail Gerasimchuk
Graduate, class of 2024
1/6

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ADMISSION OPPORTUNITIES

International students can study tuition-free by securing a scholarship through the Rossotrudnichestvo federal agency as part of a Russian Government scholarship. Applications can be submitted to the Rossotrudnichestvo office at a Russian Embassy/Consulate or an office of the Russian Center of Science and Culture.

Visit our international website for more information.

International opportunities

ITMO supports and encourages students to participate in online and offline educational events in Russia and abroad. We also count 70+ leading scientific institutions around the world among our partners.

You can apply for participation in online and offline conferences, seminars, schools, crash courses, competitions, championships, research internships, and other events in Russia and abroad that are organized by ITMO’s partner universities as well as other scientific and educational organizations.

Educational events and internships

Want to take part in a conference, summer school, or seminar abroad? ITMO University will cover up to 70% of your expenses.

Semester exchange / Study abroad

Found an interesting program in another country and want to go on an exchange semester? Tell us why you chose it and receive financial support.

Study Abroad at Home

Get your international learning experience without leaving ITMO: study in English with international students from all over the world!

Buddy System

From your first day at ITMO as an international student you will be supported by a buddy – another student, who will help you settle in, solve any issue, and explore the city! Maybe one day you, too, will want to support a newcomer at ITMO and get to share your experience as their buddy. You can learn more about the opportunity here

FAQ

Unlike other programs, Design and Development of AI Systems has a focus on software engineering. What does it mean?

Applied mathematics, programming, and software engineering are three adjacent albeit distinct fields. While applied mathematics and programming relate to writing code for a product with required features, software engineering is all about building a full-fledged product of a required quality and application. The more AI technologies are incorporated into different fields, the more complex and significant tasks will await software engineers.

Why should I do a Master’s if I’m already working in IT?

You should earn your Master's if you feel like you’re not qualified enough to be a programmer or struggle with mastering AI, ML, or DS on your own. For instance, you might have studied the fundamentals of mathematics and engineering but not programming or computer technologies. If you’re an experienced programmer who would like to get into a more specialized field of AI, be it computer vision, speech recognition, or anything else, and gain hands-on experience under the watchful eye of an industry expert, you can a) do it on your own if you know someone who can guide you and you’re ready to break out of your work routine to wholly devote yourself to studying or b) join our Master’s program to become a researcher, a developer, a PhD student, or a DSc. Science is made by teams, not individual researchers. And at the university, you will have your own learning track tailored to your experience and educational goals.

What type of professors will I have?

80% of our teaching staff, both associate professors and lecturers, are practicing specialists between 30 and 50 years old. Our more experienced staff are most valued for their professional and personal experiences, whereas younger assistants do a great job helping them communicate with their students more efficiently.

Do the program’s instructors have experience in developing software and AI systems?

All our leading lecturers (80% of our teaching staff) work at specialized companies. Thus, students not only acquire in-demand and current competencies but also learn from professionals who have gained distinction in their fields and love to teach.

Which internship options do students have?

As a rule, our students intern at our partner companies, with their employers in the field of IT, or at the university.

Do partner organizations teach and employ students?

Absolutely! Companies partner with universities to train a new generation of professionals who meet their requirements. We offer practice-centered courses, thesis guidance, internships, study projects and tests from partners, in addition to corporate Master’s programs.

Today, all IT programs offer courses in AI. What makes this program different?

We train well-rounded programmers who are savvy in both multicomponent program systems and AI. Our main focus is software engineering in the design and development of AI systems.

Will I struggle with my studies if I have no relevant background?

Yes, if you are behind, you will need to catch up on studying – getting a quality education is never easy. We encourage our future students to start off by taking ITMO.Premasters courses (see above) and then once you join the program, your supervisor will have your back.

Bachelor’s programs