ITMO University and European University are launching their first joint master's program.
ITMO University and EUSP have initiated cooperation in the fields of master's degree education and joint research. University rectors signed a partnership agreement and discussed the details of the first network master's program in the field of science and technology studies. The universities also plan to develop joint projects in the field of processing and analyzing sociological data through the use of the latest information technologies.
The Science and Technology in Society joint master's program will be aimed at training specialists in the field of analysis and social studies of science and technology. The demand for such professionals is a result of the growing role of scientific expertise in a quest for answers to global challenges in socially important areas from renewable energy to urban planning and health care.
“The penetration of scientific expertise into the decision-making process in these areas requires the combination of knowledge and experience of both natural sciences and humanities such as sociology, innovation, public policy, and scientific communication” - Olga Bychkova , Director of the EUSP Center for Science and Technology Studies and co-director of the new master's program. The students will be trained at the intersection of these disciplines.
“Analysis of science and technology helps not only to understand how scientific progress is converted into applied innovative solutions, but also to identify the causes of conflicts between participants of scientific and technological development, discrepancies in public and political discussions around acute scientific topics such as GMO, vaccination or cybersecurity“ - commented Dmitry Malkov, Director of the ITMO University Center for Scientific Communication and one of the curators of the new program.
Enrollment for the program will be open for the 2019/2020 academic year. The program is planned to enroll 15 students (state-funded at ITMO University and provided with a scholarship at EUSP) during the first year. Program students and alumni will be able to engage in the analysis of management practices in scientific organizations, high-tech businesses, or the public sector.
The two universities also plan to develop fundamentally new approaches to the study of social processes using translational information technologies.
Photos provided by ITMO University
