Celebrating 20 Years of Software Engineering at HSE
This year, HSE University marks twenty years since the launch of its Software Engineering field of study. In February 2006, the HSE Academic Council decided to establish the Department of Software Engineering—the first of its kind in Russia. The department was later reorganised into the School, which since 2014 has been part of the Faculty of Computer Science.
The anniversary celebration took place at the HSE Cultural Centre, bringing together lecturers and staff, alumni from different years, partners, and guests. First Vice Rector Vadim Radaev and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Arutyun Avetisyan warmly congratulated the event participants; representatives of partner companies, including 1C Company and Yandex, also spoke. The celebration featured music performed by the Neveroyatno, No Band! jazz band, dance performances by TODES studio (Reutov), a buffet reception, and a quiz.
According to everyone who attended, Software Engineering is, above all, about people. In his congratulatory speech, the Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science, Ivan Arzhantsev, noted: ‘What distinguishes Software Engineering is its strong core team. It is a large group of people who believed in HSE when it was still very young and not regarded as a technical university.’
‘At the time, few at HSE really understood what software engineering was, but there was a sense that it would be a breakthrough—and so it proved. Much has already been achieved, and even more lies ahead,’ emphasised First Vice Rector Vadim Radaev.
One of the founders of the School of Software Engineering, Prof. Sergey Avdoshin, spoke about the early steps of this new field in Russia: ‘It was a challenge for us to create from scratch something the country urgently needed. It was difficult to overcome scepticism. But thanks to the establishment of our department, it became possible to train systems-oriented specialists capable of developing software in teams.’
According to Sergey Avdoshin, the rapid growth of the Russian IT market in the early 2000s revealed a critical shortage of specialists who could not only write code but also build reliable software systems. The founders of the new department—Sergey Avdoshin himself, Dean of the Faculty of Business Informatics Viktor Nikitin, and Prof. Igor Agamirzian—drew the attention of HSE leadership, including Yaroslav Kuzminov and Lev Lyubimov. With their support, a software engineering curriculum was created from the ground up, drawing on both international best practices and direct demand from IT companies.
In September 2006, the first cohort of students was admitted to the new programmes: the Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering and the Master’s programme in Software Development Management (now System and Software Engineering).
From the very beginning, the Software Engineering curriculum included two groups of subjects: fundamental and specialised disciplines. Irina Lomazova, Tenured Professor at HSE University, Professor of the School of Software Engineering, and Academic Supervisor of the Laboratory of Process-Aware Information Systems (PAIS Lab), explained: ‘Like most engineering fields, software engineering is based on mathematics. Therefore, the fundamental component mainly consists of well-established mathematical courses. Unlike the core component, specialised disciplines change quite frequently. This is due both to the emergence of new ideas, solutions, and even paradigms in software development, and to the evolving demands of business. So, as the saying goes, you have to keep running just to stay in the same place.’
Vadim Podbelsky and Vladimir Lipaev played a key role in shaping the Software Engineering field of study in its early years. Vadim Podbelsky strengthened the block of courses related to programming and the engineering aspects of software development and contributed to the standardisation of teaching materials. Vladimir Lipaev acted as a proponent of a rigorous engineering paradigm, promoting the formalisation of academic disciplines and the introduction of engineering standards.
According to Deputy Head of the School of Software Engineering Olga Maksimenkova: ‘Of course, a strong foundation lies in well-developed technical skills. But personal qualities are also extremely important, as they help one work effectively not only with code, but also with people and complex systems.’ In her view, the key qualities of a software engineer include critical thinking, curiosity, perseverance and patience, responsibility, communication skills, and empathy.
The first cohorts of master’s and bachelor’s graduates in Software Engineering completed their studies in 2008 and 2010. Prof. Valery Shilov highlights the wide range of career paths open to graduates: ‘There are analysts who work with clients, elicit requirements, and formalise them for developers. There are specialists who design the architecture of future software systems. There are developers who do the programming. There are testers who debug and test new systems. And there are those who manage all of this.’
The labour market quickly recognised the value of these graduates: many found positions in leading Russian and international companies, including Yandex, Luxoft, CROC, and IBM. Their success was also acknowledged by the professional community: at various times, the Bachelor’s programme in Software Engineering received the IBM Faculty Award, accreditation from the Information and Computer Technologies Industry Association, and international accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
In 2014, the School of Software Engineering became part of the newly established Faculty of Computer Science at HSE University. The new faculty continued to develop this field. In 2015, it formed a partnership with the Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences; together they created the Joint Department of System Programming. Another partner, 1C Company, joined in 2020 and also established its own 1C Department at the School.
New educational programmes have also been introduced: the Master’s programme in System Programming in 2016, the Bachelor’s programme in Information Product Design and Development in 2023, and the online Master’s programme in Data Engineering in 2024. At present, more than 1,200 students are enrolled in Software Engineering. In 2026, two new programmes are being launched: the Bachelor’s programme in Design of Intelligent Robotic Systems and the online Master’s programme in Backend Development and Software Systems Architecture.
The Faculty of Computer Science places great emphasis on promoting software engineering. A Summer School in Software Engineering for school students in Years 8–11 is held regularly, as well as a Winter School open to all participants. For the past three years, the large-scale video games festival GameDevFest has also been organised.
The development of software engineering at HSE University is not limited to education. Considerable attention is paid to both theoretical and applied research. The School of Software Engineering includes the Laboratory of Process-Aware Information Systems (PAIS Lab) and the Laboratory for Cloud and Mobile Technologies, as well as project groups such as ‘Software Engineering of Computer Games (PIKI)’ and ‘Information Systems for Medical Applications (ISMed)’.
According to the Head of the School of Software Engineering, Sergey Lebedev, today ‘Software Engineering is a hallmark of the Faculty of Computer Science and of HSE, and is one of the most in-demand and competitive areas of study’.
More information and photos from the 20th anniversary event of the Software Engineering field of study can be found on the dedicated website (in Russian).
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