Academic CentreIn the third study year every student must participate in a special seminar during the semester.
The special seminar is a special class in small groups under the guidance of a lecturer. The group meets once a week, usually on Thursdays from 16:30 to 18:00. The lecturer determines the form and the content of the specific classes (lectures, practical works, analysis of articles, discussions, etc.), the procedure for assigning marks. A production specialist can also be a lecturer of a special seminar.
Unlike offering an optional course, which requires considerable preparation time, starting a special seminar is very simple – a lecturer must come to the special seminar presentation class and talk about the planned special seminar in about 5 minutes. If at least 6 students apply for a specific special seminar by the end of September, it can continue until the end of the study year. We recommend starting the study process in this form. If students are interested and attend the special seminar, it can be turned into an optional course in the following years.
The Faculty of Computing does not lobby any company, but also does not restrict anyone's participation in the study process.
If an organisation, having become acquainted with the current study programme, wants students to acquire other knowledge or skills, it can initiate the inclusion of an optional course in the programme.
Inclusion requires:
a) writing of a course application (annotation) of a certain form (1-2 pages);
b) provision of educational materials;
c) provision of software licences as required;
d) provision of specialised equipment if necessary;
e) offer for a course lecturer to be hired at the University, or the provision of resources so that one of the lecturers of the Faculty of Computing can teach a course.
However, it should be understood that students may or may not choose an optional course. Due to the same non-lobbying policy, we leave it at the discretion of a company to make a company-initiated course interesting for students.
The bachelor's study programme "Computer Science" of the Faculty of Computing and the 1st level professional higher education study programme "Programming and Computer Network Administration" provides for a compulsory production internship outside the University in the spring semester of the second study year. Every year our students go on internships in approximately 60 companies.
During the internship, students do not have any classes at the University, however, in parallel with the internship, students must develop a qualification paper. Formally, the internship and the qualification work are not related, but a student who is able to design the internship as qualification work will be very lucky. At the student's choice, the internship may involve either programming or computer network administration.
The Faculty of Computing signs tripartite agreements with a student and an internship organisation. The agreement does not provide for any financial settlement. If an internship organisation wants to, it can hire a student, but it is only a decision of that organisation and the student. We only accept internship organisations that are able to appoint a qualified specialist as a internship supervisor.
Internship is a great opportunity to attract new employees and do it on time.
Almost all students of the Faculty of Computing, who take exams in time, have the opportunity to study in state-funded (so-called budget) study places, thus they do not have to pay for studies. Unfortunately, support for students' daily livelihoods is far from desirable – a scholarship in the amount of EUR 99.60 is granted by the state to only about one of ten students.
If you want to award scholarships to students, please contact the University of Latvia Foundation.
The regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers stipulate that the Qualification Paper Commission must have at least 50% of the employers' representatives and the chairman of the Commission must also be from the employers.
Qualification papers are developed in accordance with the requirements approved by the ICT industry’s Professional Education Council, and the task of the Commission is to make sure that the requirements have been met and to assess how well they have been met.
As the Commission has to listen the presentations of about 100 students, it usually works in parallel sub-commissions. A total of about 20 Commission members are needed to work intensively during the week in late May – early June.
Each member of the Commission should get acquainted with about 5 qualification papers and provide a review.
The Commission holds its meetings in the afternoons in order not to delay the work of the Commission members.
The Computer Science Study Programme Council is the institution that decides on the content of a study programme. The council consists of representatives of lecturers, students and employers.
It is highly desirable that students who are on an internship or work in parallel with their studies in an IT organisation, also develop the relevant final work – qualification paper, bachelor's thesis and master's thesis – under the guidance of a qualified specialist of this IT organisation. This is not a mandatory requirement, but it gives a student an opportunity to develop at least part of the work done as final work, save time and achieve a better result.
IT organisations sometimes face problems that cannot be solved due to a lack of resources, especially time, but if unresolved, hinder the production process. In such or similar cases, it is useful to combine forces, involving lecturers, master's or doctoral students, and production specialists, to solve the problem. Such cooperation tends to be particularly effective at the doctoral level.
The University of Latvia offers to master various study courses as a listener. After listening to the course and passing the tests, the listener can receive an official certificate regarding the studied course.
The Faculty of Computing offers listeners the opportunity to master the courses of the Big Data Analytics module!
Every year, the faculty hosts various extracurricular events and activities organised by Student Self-Government with the support of various companies.