AlmaU School of Engineering Management: training at the intersection of industries

A manager with programmer skills, a large data analyst, a software engineer - more and more new specialties are replacing already traditional system admins and programmers. In fact, we are talking about completely different professions. What's the difference? Read the interview with the Dean of AlmaU School of Engineering Management (SEM) Kuanysh Abeshev.

- Please tell us, what knowledge you give at your school?

- To begin with, SEM is an international level school in the field of engineering management in Kazakhstan, whose aim is to train specialists in IT, software engineering and Big Data with management competencies. Our school is suitable for people who have a technical mindset, are interested in information technologies, and ready to participate or create innovative projects and start-ups. Our programs provide both basic knowledge in the field of information systems and deep knowledge in the fields of programming, data analysis, game development, financial technologies, etc. The program develops algorithmic and architectural thinking.

- What jobs will graduates of your school work as a result?

- Professional WEB-developer, a professional developer of IoT (Internet of Things), a specialist in Data Science (data analysis), a professional game developer, a specialist in financial technologies (blockchain, bitcoin, smart contracts, etc.), an IT infrastructure consultant . The list can be continued, in fact, we give knowledge at the intersection of industries, so the scope of its application is much greater than what I listed.

- Do you prepare only bachelors?

- And masters too. Duration of study is 4 years at the bachelor's programs, and 2 years in the master’s. Advantage of studying this specialty at AlmaU is also that you can choose one narrower direction, for example, Data Science, Game Development, Web-Programming, Fin-Tech, and get profound professional knowledge in this field. You will be assisted by practice professors who have extensive experience in programming and in scientific activities.

- Does it means that students can get a narrow specialization?

- Yes. From the first year of study, students of "Information Systems" specialty will study programming and necessary mathematics. And at the senior courses students will be able to choose their direction and go deeper into those subjects which they prefer.

- What are the specialties in your school?

- Formally, we have only one specialty in the bachelor's degree - Information Systems (IS), and within it, we implement the experimental introduction of two new specialties. These are educational trajectories "Software Engineering" and "Business Analytics and Big Data". They do not have their specialty code so far, they are not included in MES classifier, therefore they are based on the curriculum of "Information Systems". "IS" is taught in Russian and Kazakh languages, and Software Engineering and Business Analytics and Big Data - in English. There are differences in the content of these programs. There is also one specialty in Master's programs - Informatics, on its basis we also teach masters on the same two trajectories: Business Analytics and Big Data, Software Engineering. In addition, we applied for a license for "Information Systems" Master’s program, and if we get a license, we will have 2 Master's programs.

- Do the programs differ in cost?

- At the moment, the cost of training for students entering our School for any specialty is the same. 1 credit costs 28 thousand tenge, and the number of required credits is the same for all programs. This makes it easier to transfer within the school from one specialty to another. So, this year we decided to transfer the top 5 guys (of course, if agree) from the specialty "IS" to Software Engineering or Big Data (both grantees and students in paid departments). Selection will be based on the results of testing in English and mathematics, this is important, since training in these specialties is conducted in English, and the competence model implies a good knowledge of mathematics.

- Is it possible to apply for a grant?

- Yes, but only those specialties which are in MES register, i.e. "Information Systems". This year we applied for grants, 10 students have already received grants. Applicants who passed UNT in June, and those who graduated from college and passed CT exams can apply for a state grant. Since July 18, they have applied for a state grant and participated in a general competition.

- What core subjects in UNT must be taken in order to apply for a grant in "Information Systems" specialty?

- Physics and mathematics are two subjects that make it possible to enter technical specialties. In general, for Kazakhstan, 1,500 grants were allocated for "IS" this year, their distribution occurred between those students who applied for a grant for this specialty and received high scores in UNT / CT.

- Is there any minimum score to apply for a grant?

- There is no minimum score. Grants are distributed among 1500 people, who have scored maximum points. Accordingly, how many students will indicate AlmaU when applying for a grant in the first order and fall into the number of these 1500 people, so much will get a grant to our university. And to enter a paid branch everyone who scored more than 55 points, but didn’t pass on a grant.

- Are there any categories of applicants for whom special admission conditions are applied?

- Yes, they are NIS graduates (Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools). Since they study 12 years and have a strong training program, in the 12th grade they can choose a trajectory, specialization, according to which they study some subjects more deeply. If they have chosen physics and mathematics, then probability that they will immediately go to the 2nd course at our university, bypassing the 1st, is very high. But, for this they must pass English and math. If you have an IELTS certificate of at least 5.0, you do not need to take English. And testing in mathematics is held at our university every Thursday, at 12 o'clock. This is similar to recurrence of credits, due to which the program is reduced, and training lasts not 4 but 3 years. But here we approach each student individually, according to his transcript.

- Do you have grants that companies give?

- Last year and the year before, ERG (Eurasian Resources Group) and Serpin gave grants for training in Business Analytics and Big Data programs. This year, there have not been any grants yet. We also have other forms of cooperation with business: our students regularly take internships in the following companies: First Credit Bureau, Roof / Wheels / Market, Rocket Company, SAGRAD, Chocolife, GreetGo, ATF Bank, Kaspi Bank, Beeline and others.

- Are there any Rector’s grants?

- There are grants and discounts. In the spring, in April, we held an Olympiad, participants had to solve an analytical task - to predict the cost of a car of a particular brand depending on various parameters: type and volume of engines, year of manufacture, body type, etc. We gave three 100% grants for 4 years - on Business Analytics and Big Data, Software Engineering and "IP" to distinguished students. Holders of 4th, 5th and 6th places - 50% discount, and the last 3 places received 25% discounts.

- What forms of training do you have?

- Due to specifics and complexity of the learning process, we have only a day-time form. In absentia or remotely, we do not work yet.

- What is your teaching staff? Are there any foreign teachers?

- The staff is still small, there are no foreigners, but most of the teachers were educated abroad. I studied PhD program here in Kazakhstan, in cooperation with Wisconsin Madison University program, in 2014 - an internship abroad.

My colleague, research professor and practitioner, Timur Bakibayev, also graduated from a foreign university in Germany, Heidelberg University, he has a PhD degree in computer science. Timur conducts a number of projects - with Beeline, MasterCard companies (the project of a financial-laboratory) and "SAGRAD" LLP software developer, where he is an adviser.

Sibanbaeva Saulet Erbulatovna, PhD in Economics, previously worked in the financial sector, in banks. A practitioner with experience, she teaches info-communication technologies - a common basic course, which is compulsory in all specialties.

Ramazanov Ermek Tlesbaevich, Ph.D. in physics and mathematics, teaches mathematics and programming.

Our teachers, along with students, regularly participate in various hackathons, competitions and other events. Recently, our project of a financial laboratory won in one of these competitions. And as a result, the first year student of our School was able to pass a free 3-month internship in Astana, which costs 30 thousand dollars.

- What advantages of SEM would you note?

- These are internships in international IT companies, opportunity to study at foreign universities on exchange programs, and teachers- practitioners. In addition, 70% of our teachers are graduates of prestigious universities in the US and Europe.

- Do you have dual and exchange programs?

- There are no two-diploma programs. In Erasmus + line, we are working with French University Leonard de Vinci, we are negotiating with them about opening a two-degree Master's program in Big Data (it is now being implemented in our "Management" specialty). If the negotiations are successful, students will be trained for 1 year in Kazakhstan and 1 year in France. We also plan to start internships with High-Tech Park (Minsk, Belarus), while we practice academic exchange of students and teachers with our foreign partners: Tel Aviv University, Malaysian University of Technology, Harbin Polytechnic University (HIT). We cooperate with a German company, software manufacturer for SAP organizations, Academy Cube and others.

- What partners do you have among companies?

- This is SAGRAD LLP, which I already mentioned, First Credit Bureau (we cooperate in terms of data analysis), ERG (Business & Technology Services LLP), ATF Bank, Beeline (development of Web portals), Kazakhtelecom, Kaspi Bank, ChocoFamily. Some of them also create their own Big Data lab, and we are confident that our students will be able to find work in these companies after graduation.

- Is it possible to transfer to your university from other universities and specialties?

- If a student who enrolled in other profession, within six months decided to transfer, he simply passes the difference in profile subjects and transfers. Of course, at 2-3 courses, the difference in subjects can be bigger, then it is more difficult to transfer. But if the specialty is one, then the difference will be only in the university component, and it is not difficult to close it. Every time we calculate the difference individually - which subjects we can offset individually.

- Tell us more about a model of competences of your graduates?

- A model of the competences of SEM graduate differs in that, in addition to specialized competences, it includes managerial and professional competencies (Soft skills). That is, at the output we get not just an engineer-programmer, but a manager, an IT specialist with skills of an entrepreneur.

Professional competences include: IT infrastructure, programming in Python / Java / R / C, the basics of cyber security and the architecture of computer systems. Management competencies are strategic management, corporate finance, risk management, marketing, etc.

Specialized competencies of Software Engineering trajectory are: a) Mobile development, b) Design thinking and rapid prototyping, c) Roadmap of Internet of Things, d) Programming for IOS. Specialized competencies of Business Analytics and Big Data trajectory are: a) algorithms and data structures, b) a large data ecosystem, c) large data analysis typologies, and d) scenarios for using Big Data.

- What will your graduates have at the output?

- If assumed on the trajectory of learning, on the basis of IS there are two trajectories: 1) web design and game design, creation of mobile applications and 2) IoT (Internet of things).

Depending on what students choose, they can create various info-graphics, develop design solutions, animations, illustrations, pictures - that is, be able to do what art companies do. They will learn to work in PhotoShop, Illustrator, Adobe Muse, create their own projects. For example, Temirlan Kenzhegaliyev, this year graduate of "IS", created AnimJa, a mobile animation application and monetized it in App Store and Google Store. And he himself created animation, did a great job, they recorded music in a separate studio. Inside the game itself, he invented chips that help its advance.

Two more graduates created projects based on Django (a framework that allows you to develop websites quickly and easily): one project was created under an animal nursery, even Kazkom's facilities were used to send donations online. The second project is a web game with a unique design.

The second trajectory is Internet of things, or so-called smart home technology. Based on various sensors, microprocessors, children can learn to collect and analyze data from temperature, light, etc. sensors. They will learn basic things: how to program these microprocessors, connect them to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G module, that is, to collect them as a designer.

There are also two trajectories inside Big Data - 1) data visualization, large data processing, machine learning, and 2) blockchain (with focus on fintech), machine learning clustering (cluster machine learning), Python for finance.

- What are successful projects of the School and can you name your graduates?

- In addition to already mentioned mobile game for iOS / Android Animja, a Web site for a dog kennel with online payments, we still had a turnkey network for a college, a mobile application for deposit hiring at Hackathon CenterCredit Bank, a performance on a makathon in Karaganda (our students developed special walkers for people with disabilities, a social project) and the victory in the hackathon for tourism development organized by Almaty akimat - there we took 1st place.

- Thank you for the interview and wish success of your school!