New graduates in information and software engineering will make technology more human-oriented

The engineering education that will start at the University of Jyväskylä in autumn 2021 will provide the labour market with new experts who hold the degree of Master of Science in Technology (diplomi-insinööri). Their competence is based on solutions and innovations produced in collaboration between information technology and human sciences. The education provides both the expertise required for finding employment and the basic skills for lifelong learning.

← Janne Roslöf

There is currently a great demand for IT professionals who can understand technology, perceive the needs for which systems are developed and collaborate seamlessly with experts in human sciences.

“When insights into technology and human sciences are brought together in a responsible way, it will lead to human-oriented solutions that ease people’s daily lives,” says Vice Dean Lauri Kettunen, who is leading educational planning in the Faculty of Information Technology.

THE NEW MASTER’S DEGREE EDUCATION IN INFORMATION AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING RESPONDS TO THE NEEDS OF THE WORLD OF WORK

Technology is more than just an isolated field for engineers; it is closely linked to people’s daily lives. Nowadays, every area of society is touched by information technology in one way or another. During the past decade, IT has become an integral part of the everyday lives of people and communities.

“We started to plan the engineering education from scratch, based on needs,” Kettunen says. “The field of information technology has changed and society needs IT professionals in almost every sector.

“We also took into account the prevailing trend to understand the content needs of various operators and created solutions with them in mind when planning the education.”

MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES DEVELOP FLEXIBLE THINKING

The Faculty of Information Technology will provide the degree education in information and software engineering in cooperation with other faculties of the university. The combination of engineering and human science studies is based on a multidisciplinary approach. The idea is that in addition to the logic, methods and practices of IT, a student becomes familiar with other academic approaches to human beings, technology and society.

“JYU’s multidisciplinary environment creates a unique opportunity for the engineering students to select, for example, sport and health sciences, music, arts, culture, psychology, languages and communication, learning technologies and pedagogy or business and economics, or many other options,” says Professor of Practice Janne Roslöf, whose work on curriculum planning started in autumn 2020.

BROAD-BASED EXPERTISE FOR VITAL SECTORS

“The new education in information and software engineering enables a wide variety of career paths. There is a lack of experts in this field also internationally,” Roslöf says.

“Creative fields are a good example. The demand for design that works in human terms is crucial,” Kettunen says. “A broad-based view of technology is among the best competences of today’s IT professionals. More examples can be found from early childhood education and school up to elderly care. Today, they all require IT skills and technology competence.”

“We all probably have experience of software and IT systems that were designed on the machine’s terms. To create new systems, we need professionals who understand both machines and humans. In addition, we need visions for replacing old methods with new, better solutions.”

Lauri Kettunen →

“Experts who get accustomed to looking at phenomena from different frames of reference during their studies are considerably more flexible in their thinking, and thus also more skilled in situations where solutions need to be found for diverse interfaces between human life and technology.”

Marja-Leena Laakso | VICE RECTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR EDUCATION AT JYU

On 5 October 2020, Rector Keijo Hämäläinen officially decided on the establishment of the education and degree programmes. Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Education in Information and Software Engineering is part of the joint application in spring 2021 and starts in August.