University-wide optional courses

Dear students!

University-wide optional courses were introduced in 2021 and many of you have been enjoying them. This initiative benefits students by allowing them to choose interesting subjects. Moreover, Master’s and PhD students can try their hand at teaching by submitting their ideas to the contest of optional courses.

At these courses, students can meet their peers from different levels of study and specializations, which helps them expand their network and meet like-minded people. This is a great boost to the friendly atmosphere that we cherish at ITMO.

University-wide optional courses are additional courses that you can take alongside your educational program. Each course ends with a pass/fail test. Be mindful when choosing an optional course: the number of students in each of them is limited, so do choose it only if you truly intend to complete it.

In the fall semester 2024 year, there are 58 optional courses to choose from. The organizers of the initiative are proud to say that 4 courses were developed by ITMO’s Master’s and PhD students. And 3 courses were developed by external specialists.

Important!

Сhoosing an optional course:

You can sign up for optional courses on the my.itmo.ru platform at the start of every semester.
You can choose no more than two optional courses per semester. Please note that if you choose «Turkish Language», «Chinese Language», «Spanish Language» or «Italian Language» then you will only be able to study one optional course, because each of these courses is at least twice as long as the other electives (64 hours).

Opting out of studying an optional course:

You can decide not to complete anoptional course until the day of the second class(inclusive) without any restrictions (be sure to write about your decision to plus@itmo.ru)
If you decide to opt out of an optional course after the second class, other rules begin to apply:
- if you dropped out of an optional course two times or more, unfortunately, you won’t be able to join an optional course at ITMO in the next semester. We will provide places and opportunities for those who could not enroll because you took a place but did not continue your studies.
- what if you are abscent from two classes or fail two final tests for optional courses – or some combination of these two? Unfortunately, you also won’t be able to enroll in optional courses at ITMO in the next semester. We will provide an opportunity for other students to gain knowledge and credits.

About credits for elective(s):

Electives do NOT affect scholarships and are NOT considered academic backlog. University-wide optional courses are included in the diploma supplement only with the agreement of the student.
It is not necessary to register for electives. But if you decide to take an elective course, to receive credit you must fulfill all the requirements that the teacher will announce.
University-wide optional courses grades are issued before the end of the semester and are displayed in the grade book after the teacher has assigned the points in the Grading System.

Below, you will find course descriptions and videos from teachers for you. Check them out to choose your dream optional course.

If you have any questions regarding university-wide optional courses, you can send them to plus@itmo.ru or Helpdesk.
Telegram Bot: @plus_itmo_bot