In 1964 Vladimir G. Sergeyev (the chief of the Design Office of Electrical Appliances Construction, Kharkov) and Areg V. Dabagjan (the professor of Kharkov Ppolytechnic Institute) started the work at creating a department aimed at training research engineers in the area of automatic movement control. Professor Areg V. Dabagjan examined the experience of training similar specialists in Moscow State University, Moscow Institute of Applied-Physics, Moscow Bauman High Technical School, Moscow Aviation Institute, and in a number of other institutes and universities of the USSR and abroad.
According to this experience the curriculum was developed in April 1964, which contained the following features:
- Fundamental training in mathematics.To achieve this goal 1250 hours were assigned for the subjects in this field instead of 450 or 500 hours in usual curricula. Students studied the equations of mathematical physics, the theory of differential equations, the higher algebra, matrix calculus, numerical methods of differential equations solution, set and graph theories, the probability theory, statistical dynamics, mathematical statistics, the theory of queues, game theory, information theory, the theory of dynamic filtering, etc.
- Fundamental training in flight dynamics and control.
- For the first time in the USSR training in computer science started in the first term.
- Unlike the existed curricula students had to accomplish only one term paper. Due to this they could concentrate on one scientific problem, consider it thoroughly, and present the solution properly. Besides it was provided that term paper topics would be scientifically oriented and individual.
- A special professional practice for students was provided in the 9th and 10th terms. By this time students had already obtained sufficient theoretical knowledge and they could combine practical training with preparation of their graduation projects.
In the same year the department with the title Automatic Movement Control was approved. Its staff consisted of the head of the department, Dr.Sci.Tech., professor A.V. Dabagyan, teaching assistants A.V. Gorely and E.A. Pikur, post-graduate V.M. Yermolenko, and secretary L.V. Yurovskaya. A number of students of the institute were admitted to the two groups of the first and second year and during the first term they were taking an accelerated training. The first entrants were admitted to the department in October 1964 and the first specialists graduated from the institute in 1968. They were V.A. Guzhva, V.I. Stepanenko, A.I. Kolnaguz, A.I. Yarokh, I.N. Kolomoytsev, N.V. Kokhanovsky, A.V. Makarenko, G.V. Kozlov, and J.I. Robuk. All their graduation theses were applied at the base enterprise and got the mark ‘excellent’.
In 1964 on the department the post-graduate studies was opened. By since then the department has prepared over 70 candidates of science. Besides professor A.V. Dabagjan, 12 graduates and employees of the department became doctors of science. They are M.D. Godlevsky – head of Computer-Aided Management Systems department, G.A. Sukhorukov – the deputy director on scientific work of the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Environmental Problems, B.I. Kuznetsov – head of Systems of Management and Automation of Full-scale Plants department, L.A. Gambarov – director of Institute of Computer Science and Management, V.P. Avramov – the founder of Wheel and Caterpillar Machines department, J.T. Kostenko – the rector of the Kharkov Polytechnic University, A. S. Kutsenko – head of System Analysis and Control department, V.J. Zaruba – head of Economic Cybernetics and Marketing Management department, E.E. Aleksandrov – Head of Wheel and Caterpillar Machines department, I.V. Kononenko – head of Strategic Management department, I.P. Gamayun – dean of a faculty Computer Science and Management, N.V.Tkachuk – professor of Computer-Aided Management Systems department.
Now the department prepares bachelors, specialists and masters of area of Computer science, of two specializations: Information and Management Systems and Technologies, Computer-Aided Ecological Economic Monitoring and of area of Software Engineering of two specializations: Software of Computer-Aided Systems, Software Engineering of Logistic Systems.
The department is equipped with four computer classes and the library of modern foreign textbooks on computer science. Over 100 modern computers are connected into a local-area computer network with an access to the Internet. Graduates of the department work at the enterprises, in the organizations and firms of Kharkov, Kiev and other cities of Ukraine, and also in Chicago, New York, Vienna, Sydney, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, etc., obtain M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in the universities of the USA France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, England and other countries.