FACULTY OF IT

Education enhances competitiveness in the dynamic IT labor market

Information technology, or, in other words, IT, is a subfield of engineering and technology, encompassing electrical engineering, electronics, and information and communication technologies, without which we cannot imagine our daily lives. Computers, smart devices, and the Internet play a crucial role in our daily routines, making processes easier, helping solve problems, and saving time. Therefore, continuous operation of these technologies requires specific knowledge and specialists to maintain them, often without us even noticing.

“The future of information technology is clear; there are no limits. It is constantly evolving, and IT specialists must also develop, learning more about modern IT trends and staying informed about the latest developments in this field. What may seem sufficient today, could be insufficient tomorrow. Therefore, it is essential to continuously improve at higher levels to remain competitive in the dynamic IT labor market,” emphasizes the dean of the Faculty of IT of Turība University, associate professor Jānis Pekša.

Advantages of studying IT at Turība University

One of the main advantages is the flexible learning process, as well as the modular training principle, where the ratio of lectures to practical work is approximately 1:3. The ability to access study materials remotely offers students the option to study online as well. The university organizes various guest lectures and provides practical knowledge, and students also have the opportunity to participate in exchange programs with other engineering universities across Europe.

The study courses are carried out in the Information and communication technology laboratory which provides all the necessary resources for learning and practice, as well as the opportunity to use equipment and resources during free time, both on-site and remotely.
At the Faculty of IT students can study the following programs in English, both on-site and remotely:

• college study program – “Programmer”;
• bachelor study program – “Computer Systems”.

In the framework of the college study program “Programmer”, students will learn everything necessary in programming, computer system architecture, system analysis, and database fundamentals. The program provides a strong foundation in IT and prepares students to work with key technologies in the field. While in the professional bachelor's study program “Computer Systems”, students will master various programming languages such as Java, C#, Python, Kotlin, and JavaScript. In addition to the programming languages, the curriculum is enriched with various creative and comprehensive IT fields, including: Machine Learning and Intelligent Analytics, Design Thinking in IT Industry, User Interface and User Experience, Internet of Things, Green IT Systems and Methods, Software Development for Modeling and Simulation (Virtual Reality), Robotics, where students can control robots using brainwaves (thought power).

The “Computer Systems” program prepares students to start their own careers in IT, providing knowledge in computer system architecture, software engineering, system analysis, database technologies, and artificial intelligence basics. Students will also develop systemic thinking and approaches to software development projects, fulfilling various roles and adhering to IT programming engineer standards and professional ethics.

Upon completion of the program, graduates can continue to refine their skills in other bachelor's or master's programs offered by Turība University. Graduates of the college program can directly continue their studies in the professional bachelor's program “Computer Systems” starting from the third year.

Major challenges in the IT field

Nowadays, an IT specialist as a programming engineer must be able to cover a wide range of different technologies and programming languages. In the future, educated specialists will be a basic requirement to start working on IT projects. Technology and artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly important in our daily lives, so the future of IT will improve and develop in parallel with human trends and will continue to be an increasingly large part of our daily lives.

Every IT specialist must have critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to perceive information and present the essential in simple words. One must be able to quickly find solutions to problems, because often these problems hinder other people's work, preventing the company from making a profit. The biggest challenges in the IT field would be the correct acquisition of IT investments, the meaningful use of abilities, and an important aspect will also be education, which must be constantly improved and updated as a result of the development of the IT industry.

IT as a part of business

Information technologies play an important role in business, without them it is no longer possible to fully exist in the modern world. E-mail, website, smartphone, electronic invoice and electronic signature are a standard set in every company. More and more companies, organizations and institutions are also thinking about the security of their data and unified systems that perform several functions, from data storage to work accounting and communication. Most companies have their own IT departments, where specialists work, ensuring the successful operation of systems and technologies and solving various related problems.

Finding the ability within

The first difficulty when starting studies is definitely laziness, because when studying IT, the first month is always difficult. Various thoughts begin: is this really what I want to study? Will the mathematics be too complicated? Will I be able to learn to program? These are the most pressing questions that weigh on students, but we can say that this is temporary – after the first homework and practical work with the teachers, which inspires and creates a feeling that you can still do it!