Dates: December 1−10, 2026
Start: December 1, 2026
Exam: December 11, 2026
Workload: 24 ac. hrs

Curious about how what you’re eating affects your health and mood? Take our Introduction to Nutrition Science course. There, you’ll gain scientific insights into macro- and microelements, learn how to build a balanced diet, explore the field’s latest trends, and see the most common myths about food debunked. The course will help you improve your diet and inspire you to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Immerse yourself in the world of nutrition and discover how your food choices can change your life!

Dates: November 7−28, 2026
Start: November 7, 2026
Exam: December 5, 2026
Workload: 32 ac. hrs

Social media plays a major role in our lives. We write posts, share our opinions, and leave reviews on products we purchase — all this provides valuable information to analyze. If you’re searching for a product to buy, a system of automatic review analysis will help you make the right decision. You can also learn more about other people’s opinions on a certain situation and learn what people on social media are feeling — all with the help of such a system.

Are you wondering how many likes and shares you’ll get on social media? The automatic system can give an answer to that, too. And such a system is not hard to build. In this course, we examine the stages of machine learning and create a system to classify popular posts step by step. You can then use this knowledge for other tasks, such as analyzing the comments for toxicity or evaluating the tones of reviews.

Dates: October 5 — November 16, 2026
Start: October 5, 2026
Exam: November 16, 2026
Workload: 18 ac. hrs

It’s hard to imagine a study on molecular genetics or the extraction of nucleic acids without capillary electrophoresis, spectroscopy, fluorimetry, sequencing, and sometimes even chromatography. This makes the course useful for future biologists, biotechnologists, bioengineers, and analytical chemists planning to work at pharmaceutical or medical companies.

In this course, you’ll study the most common instrumental analysis methods and associated equipment (Sanger sequencing, fragment analysis, capillary electrophoresis, spectrometry, fluorimetry, and high-performance liquid chromatography), as well as see what real data looks like and what software you can use to process it.

Don’t fret if some of these words sound unfamiliar to you: we’ll figure them out together!

Dates: November 3−27, 2026
Start: November 3, 2026
Exam: December 1, 2026
Workload: 16 ac. hrs

The course serves as an introduction to the ever-growing field of cyberpsychology — the study of human-computer interaction and how it impacts people’s psycho-emotional state and communication.

Dates: September 25 — December 18, 2026
Start: September 25, 2026
Exam: December 25, 2026
Workload: 22 ac. hrs

Game development is a multifaceted craft that uses a variety of specialized tools. Special focus is placed on game engines — the most popular of which have become so complex that fully mastering them feels impossible. As a rule, such tools are associated with their own gamedev approach; that’s why it’s beneficial for multidisciplinary specialists to learn as many of them as possible.

The course focuses on Defold — a game engine that is perfect for beginners as it requires no powerful configurations or extra tools. It also includes all the essential features, meaning that users won’t have to deal with extra systems that can distract them from their tasks.

Students will start by getting to know the key principles of gamedev: they’ll explore how the main tools work and how they can approach them. After that, they’ll move on to studying the two pillars of the field: programming and graphics. They’ll practice their skills doing tasks and developing their own games.

Dates: November 2-26, 2026
Start: November 2, 2026
Exam: December 3, 2026
Workload: 16 ac. hrs

Storytelling is one of the most important skills a person can learn today. In the world where attention is a valuable resource, the ability to tell stories, convey ideas through a narrative, and evoke emotions comes in handy in both personal and professional life.

This course will focus on a narrative structure: you’ll learn more about a hero’s journey, as well as how to create memorable characters and build tension in a story.

If you already have a blog, we’ll help you make it better, and if not yet, we’ll help you understand why some authors grab and keep readers' attention – and others don’t.

Dates: September 30 — November 25, 2026
Start: September 30, 2026
Exam: November 27, 2026
Workload: 32 ac. hrs

What do you know about quantum physics? Schrödinger's cat, parallel universes, quantum entanglement, teleportation, and different calculations — these are the words you may come across in popular blogs and videos. But if you want to figure out what they actually mean and how quantum theory changes our perception of the world, this course is definitely for you!

What we will do:

• trace the logic behind the creation of quantum physics through its key milestones and figures;
• explore the basics of quantum theory by learning more about fundamental experiments in physics and cognitive sciences;
• study quantum theory through the lenses of mysticism, fiction, and science, as well as look into relevant philosophical foundations.

As a result, you’ll see how classical and quantum theory complement one another across engineering and humanities, creating a whole new network of interdisciplinary branches and a rich source of analogies for you to use in presentations and arguments.

Dates: December 5, 2026 — January 16, 2027
Start: December 5, 2026
Exam: January 23, 2027
Workload: 24 ac. hrs

Have you ever had this feeling: you remember some moment from the past, and it feels so light and bright? Yet, a few days later, you look back at the very same moment only to see it in completely different colors, as though it has somehow gone wrong. But the thing is, the event itself hasn’t changed; what changed is your mood — and this is called mood-congruent memory. Your brain translates your emotions into the past, and as our memories get distorted, our decisions become more biased.

This is just one of the many cognitive biases we’ll explore during the Understanding Cognitive Biases and Others course.

Here, you’ll learn how different types of thinking help identify and neutralize cognitive biases, what rationality is, and why it’s not easy to maintain when making decisions. We’ll also talk about how personal experience influences our perception and how we sometimes fool ourselves because of it.

Other topics we will discuss:

• Imposter syndrome — what cognitive biases lie behind the feeling of "I'm here by accident" and "I'm actually not as good as everyone thinks";
• Limiting beliefs and how to work with them;
• The framing effect — how to notice it in yourself and others and how to deal with it;
• Goal setting, objective assessment of reality, emotions, cognitive flexibility, and changing negative behaviors.

The course includes not only theory but also group exercises and practical techniques, as well as video materials selected by the author.

By the end of the course, you’ll learn to identify behavioral patterns, catch cognitive biases, and, most importantly, make more conscious decisions and stop operating on autopilot.

Dates: September 21 — November 23, 2026
Start: September 21, 2026
Exam: November 30, 2026
Workload: 20 ac. hrs

Whether you’d like to know more about your ancestors or have already started your family tree journey, this is the course for you! Here, you will learn to use the resources efficiently, structure data, and build your own family tree.

Being a family tree "detective" requires not only special knowledge and skills, but also deductive reasoning, hypotheses and versions, and even evidence. You can find out a ton without leaving your home, and by piecing together the puzzle, share exciting stories with your relatives and keep them for your offspring.

Dates: September 24 — November 12, 2026
Start: September 24, 2026
Exam: November 19, 2026
Workload: 32 ac. hrs

As part of the course, students will develop their investing skills and take the first steps towards having their personal investments and building financial capital — all under the supervision of experienced mentors. The course is built upon real-world cases from the stock market and the lecturer’s own experiences. It will start off with an introductory class: students will learn how the market works, why investing matters, and why a bank deposit is oftentimes less profitable compared to other financial tools. Students will be introduced to the key investment assets (bonds, stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), money market funds, metals, estates, and alternative methods) and digital investment tools (TradingView, Investing Port, Perplexity, and others). They’ll master the specifics of working with brokers and taxes, analyze real-world investment cases and deals, both profitable and not, look at common investment pitfalls, explore the importance and role of emotions in money management, identify their personal risk profile, find the best investment strategy for themselves, learn to conduct investment analysis at enterprises, and build their personal investment portfolios. The course will help students navigate investing more consciously and efficiently move towards their financial goals, knowing how to achieve them faster.

Dates: October 6 — November 24, 2026
Start: October 6, 2026
Exam: December 1, 2026
Workload: 16 ac. hrs

Writing is a critical life skill. Actually, we all write every day, and in an increasingly virtual-based society, the written format has become a primary form of communication. The ability to write clearly, concisely, and intelligibly helps clarify and organize thoughts logically, promotes deeper analysis and understanding, and contributes to academic success. Therefore, mastering writing develops critical thinking skills. However, to produce effective and persuasive academic texts, writing should be made a habit. So to become better academic authors, we will start with training and improving basic writing skills. We will gain insights into the writing process, its aspects, and management. The course consists of eight interactive sessions with a focus on practical exercises to develop writing skills applicable to various writing tasks and contexts.

Dates: September 12 — December 17, 2026
Start: September 12, 2026
Exam: November 5, 2026 (group ФЭИ 1.1)
November 19, 2026 (group ФЭИ 1.2)
December 22, 2026 (group ФЭИ 1.3)
Workload: 32 ac. hrs

Did you know that emotional intelligence is not defined by nature but may be developed at any age?

This course is for you if you want to learn to understand and manage your emotions, as well as identify the emotions of others, and build deep and more honest relationships in school, workplace, and life.

The course isn’t theory- but practice-oriented and involves self-observation, real-world cases, role games, group discussions, and empathy exercises. Join the course if you want to better understand yourself and others.

Dates: September 26 – November 14, 2026
Start: September 26, 2026
Exam: November 21, 2026
Workload: 32 ac. hrs

This course is designed for ITMO University students who want to enhance their business English while developing essential intercultural communication skills. The course combines language learning with practical strategies for working effectively in multicultural environments, which are crucial for success in international companies, startups, and research projects.

What you will gain:

• business English skills tailored to cross-cultural contexts;
• the ability to avoid misunderstanding and conflicts in international teams;
• practice in delivering presentations, negotiations, and correspondence with foreign partners;
• an understanding of cultural nuances that impact business processes.

Who is it for? For students aiming to work at global companies, launch international projects, or participate in overseas internships.