Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas confidently brings education within the university walls to an international, European level. This is evidenced by the university’s participation in projects and initiatives with foreign universities. Furthermore, based on IFNTUOG, there is a joint educational program “Information Technologies for Sustainable Energy Development” with British colleagues from the London South Bank University, after completing which students receive two diplomas.
The program allows for flexibility in choosing a future career path and acquiring the necessary knowledge to succeed in a wide range of industries.
About the features of the double degree educational program at IFNTUNG, who can enroll in it and how, as well as the prospects and study details, were disclosed in a special for Pravda.if interview with the educational program coordinator Marian SLabinoha/
The dual degree program was initiated in response to the challenges of the times at the end of 2022. We developed the project for this program with our British colleagues from London South Bank University. We had collaborated with them in various areas before, including research. And now, the opportunity arose to implement an educational program together on “Information Technologies for Sustainable Energy Development.” At that time, the country faced the first attacks on its energy infrastructure. However, the issue was already relevant, as there was a demand for IT specialists in the energy sector: a shortage of people who could apply digital technologies, various software tools, and develop them to solve energy-related tasks. It is also important to note that the IT sector requires specific niche expertise, and the energy sector is one of the most promising areas. As our society is moving towards “green” energy and energy resilience, this initiative seemed like a good fit for us. Everything also fell into place locally. It is known that Ivano-Frankivsk is a significant city in terms of IT industry activity in Ukraine. On the other hand, we have a university and expertise in energy across all institutes regardless of their specialization.
We received funding for its establishment and in April 2023 successfully underwent the validation procedure, meaning the program was recognized as meeting the quality standards of higher education in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, the first intake of students began their studies, and by January 2025, they had obtained dual degrees. Concurrently, with the support of the Twinning initiative, we initiated and successfully completed the international accreditation procedure by ZEvA, receiving this accreditation until 2032.
This year the first cohort of master’s students graduated from your educational program, and another course is currently undergoing training. Could you tell me more about it?
The first graduation of masters was quite solemn, attended by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Mykhailo Vynnytsky. The symbolism lies in the leadership of our university during the accreditation of the program and that IFNTUNG was among the six selected higher education institutions in the country that launched the pilot project of the double degree program. Mykhailo Vynnytsky acted as an ambassador within the Ukrainian government for the Twinning initiatives and supported the program throughout its development stages.
On the first intake, there were only a few students, with 8 graduates. However, due to the spread of information about this program, the second intake now has 24 students. Structurally, their education consists of three semesters, with the final one preparing them to submit their master’s theses and graduate in January 2026.
What are the future prospects for graduates of this educational program and how does the double degree program work?
The double degree program involves studying entirely at IFNTUNG (Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas), as was the condition for 2022 due to the full-scale invasion. The teaching staff is engaged from four institutes of our university, as the course program allowed for a combination of various disciplines. Here we have IT, a part of energy management, and economics and management in the energy sector. However, the program is officially assigned to the Department of Software Engineering. We offer a wide range of disciplines: front-end and back-end development, artificial intelligence applications, 3-D modeling, geographic information systems, design, mathematical modeling, and more. Students choose some of the disciplines at their discretion from those offered. We have assembled a strong team of experts who are proficient in English at a proper level (B2 and above). British colleagues also participate in the educational process: they review works, peer-review master’s theses, and conduct guest lectures.
The novelty is that this year two of our students from the program will visit the UK, participating in a summer school on sustainable economic development. Documents are being prepared for this trip.
When talking about prospects for the future, all of our students were already employed in their field of specialization upon graduation: either in the IT sector or in the energy industry. This demonstrates their conscious choice, as they were studying individuals who had to some extent already advanced in their careers. Currently, the majority of higher education seekers have come to study with a bachelor’s degree in hand. Undoubtedly, a significant achievement of the program is teaching students in English, which elevates their level to a higher tier.
Good prospects have also emerged during the accreditation of the program, which involves meetings with potential employers. Representatives of various organizations interested in professionals were present, including Prykarpattyaoblenenergo, renewable energy companies, and IT companies.
What are the features of this year’s admission process? Who and under what conditions can enroll for studies?
Admission to the master’s program is currently taking place because it is the specialty of Information-measuring technologies, which does not require the Unified state entrance exam, and the mandatory requirement for all masters is to pass the EPT and a professional internal exam in English. This applies to applicants who want to enter after the fourth year. Master’s students, in order to obtain a second higher education, will undergo an internal exam in English and a professional exam within the university walls.
Grant program funders are very concerned about its cost and strive to make it financially independent. That is, last year the training was fully funded by them with 25 spots. This year, we won a grant for an extension, and 30 spots will be funded by the British side.
In order for students to study for free at IFNTUNG, we have applied to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for state-funded places. We are aiming for about 10 places. Scholarships from employers are also being considered for the best students who enroll but do not qualify for government funding. The cost of tuition on a contract basis for one year will be 39,000 hryvnias.
What are your plans regarding your educational program in the near future?
We plan to increasingly involve a British component in the program. We do try to dedicate quite a bit of time to communication between students and mentors from Great Britain. However, in the conditions of war, this process has been minimized. This is unfortunate. But there is a positive aspect – it allows us to reduce the cost of education for our students in this way.
We continue to work on additional grant agreements and initiatives to bring guest lecturers. Our students actively participate in summer schools and certain international projects. Currently, they are preparing a submission for the student work competition at the IVI Summit in Maynooth, Ireland, in collaboration with the Innovation Value Institute, with whom we have established a good partnership.