MASTER IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The Master in Public Administration (MPA) is a 1.5-year full-time program designed for professionals seeking rigorous education and training in public administration. 

The mission of MPA program is to provide mid/senior level practitioners with academic and professional education which will inform their working practices and raise the standard of governance in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

The Program schedule involves an evening/weekend learning format which is designed to help students integrate their studies with personal and/or professional responsibilities.

MPA students can choose to specialize in one of 3 tracks (economic policy, international political economy or public governance) to enhance their career prospects.

Program Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the program, graduates will have the ability to:

  1. Lead and manage in public governance;
  2. Participate in and contribute to the policy process;
  3. Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions;
  4. Articulate and apply a public service perspective; and
  5. Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.

Professional competency: In addition, the program will ensure that students learn to apply their education, such as through experiential exercises and interactions with practitioners across the broad range of public affairs, administration, and policy professions and sectors.

The program structure includes the following key components:

  1. Orientation Week. It is the first week in MPA program. The purpose is to prepare students for the program, and forge bonds among them as classmates. Before arriving for the Orientation Week, students must have submitted all required documents and have completed any pre-assigned work.
  2. Core Courses – courses that all MPA students are required to complete within the program.
  3. Elective Courses – courses that MPA students can select from among alternatives. Elective courses are subject to change as they are based on students’ interests/preferences, faculty availability and program design.
  4. Master’s Project with an Overseas Component.

The Master’s Project is a final requirement for students on the MPA program. It may be conducted as a public policy or management exercise. In both cases, it is expected to be an exercise in which students will be able to apply relevant knowledge and skills gained during the MPA program including: defining and structuring the problem; organizing data; defining and carrying out analysis of the issue; developing specific action recommendations; and defending their findings publicly. The Master’s Project is an opportunity for students to focus on a policy problem of their own preference in greater depth than is available in a classroom setting. The Master’s Project will include identification of a public policy problem, preferably in the Kazakhstan or Central Asia context, its analysis from a theoretical or empirical prospective, and in case of practical exercise, formulation of a policy proposal and a feasible program of implementation.

The overseas component (currently in Singapore) normally takes place at the end of the first academic year (Summer semester), where students learn about Singapore’s approaches in long-term urban planning and development through lectures and learning journeys, reflect on the lessons learnt and whether/how they could be applied or adapted to the context of Kazakhstan. This can be particularly useful for students who are working on their Master’s project.

Funding Opportunities

Admission to the MPA program is merit-based. Distribution of all types of scholarships is carried out based on the competition.

NU offers the following funding options:

  • Government funding: the Nazarbayev University educational grant (Government-funded scholarship) is available for most of the candidates. 98% of Nazarbayev University students are funded by the Government which covers full tuition fees and a monthly stipend. Government-funded scholarship is not offered to applicants who previously received the same degree under the state educational order or under the Bolashak international scholarship. This scholarship is also not available for the applicants who previously studied at Nazarbayev University and had been dismissed for disciplinary reasons. The number of grants is annually approved by the Governmental Decree of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
  • “Abay Kunanbayev” scholarship: “Abay Kunanbayev” scholarship is named after Abay Kunanbayev (1845-1904) a Kazakh poet, great thinker, composer, philosopher, and the founder of the Kazakh written literature. This scholarship is specifically designed for foreign citizens and persons without citizenship and awarded on a competitive basis. This scholarship is funded by Nazarbayev University and covers tuition fees, a monthly stipend and basic medical insurance. The scholarship is provided for an entire period of the specified program. Number of scholarships is annually approved by Nazarbayev University.
  • Fee-paying education and partial scholarships: admission to a fee-paying education is available to candidates who meet all admission requirements, are recommended for admission but due to low ranking didn’t receive any grant/scholarship mentioned above. Number of seats for a fee-paying education is approved annually by the Nazarbayev University depending on the capacity of the Schools. Certain categories of candidates enrolled on a fee-paying basis can be provided with a scholarship, which covers from 50% to 100% of the tuition costs (partial scholarship). For more information about these categories please visit this web-page.

 

MASTER IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION CURRICULUM

The core curriculum focuses on:  the application of public administration theories to inform practice; an understanding of the economic context in which the public sector operates including issues of strategic management and leadership; how public sector organization measure their performance; program evaluation; and, a basic grounding in research skills to help students complete a master’s project’. It comprises 7 core modules, Master’s Project, and 3 electives. Each core/elective module equals to 8 ECTS credits and Master’s Project equals to 12 ECTS credits. The total number of credits in the program in 92 ECTS.

MPA curriculum*

Year 1: Semester 1

Module

ECTS Credits

MPA 602 – Public Administration in Theory and Practice

8

MPA 603 – Economic Applications for Public Managers

8

MPA 605 – Research Methods for Public Managers

8

SEMESTER SUBTOTAL:

24

Year 1: Semester 2

Module

ECTS Credits

MPA 610 – Program Evaluation

8

MPA 608 – Strategic Management and Leadership

8

Elective 1

8

MPA 699 – Master’s Project with an Overseas Component

0

SEMESTER SUBTOTAL:

24

Year 1: Semester 3 (Summer)

Module

ECTS Credits

MPA 607 – Fiscal Management and Budgeting

8

MPA 699 – Master’s Project with an Overseas Component

0

SEMESTER SUBTOTAL:

8

Year 2: Semester 4

Module

ECTS Credits

MPA 699 – Master’s Project with an Overseas Component

12

MPA 609 – Human Resource Policy and Management

8

Elective 2

8

Elective 3

8

SEMESTER SUBTOTAL:

36

TOTAL

92

*Order of the modules can be reconsidered by the School

*Effective from August 2021 for newly admitted students

MPA 602 – Public Administration in Theory and Practice

The course provides students with an understanding of the theories and practices of public administration in various contexts. Combining historical, contextual and theoretical perspectives, this course gives students a comprehensive overview of the discipline and focuses on the practical implications of public administration theory. Students will read and discuss literature that explores theory and practice of public administrative and governance. Students will also examine several cases that explore practical examples in public administration in various geographical and political contexts.

MPA 603 – Economic Applications for Public Managers

This subject provides a public sector manager’s guide to key economic principles, and their applications to public sector activity. Public policy issues are addressed within an economic paradigm. The aim is to help public sector managers make better decisions when allocating scarce resources, when pricing and delivering public sector goods and services and when designing regulations.

MPA 605 – Research Methods for Public Managers

This course aims to provide students increased understanding of the scientific research process and the tools they will need to read and conduct empirical research in organizational settings. Students should expect to read and analyze scientific literature, write briefs or reports, perform basic qualitative and quantitative analysis. Upon completion of this module, students will know the structure and components of an empirical research paper, the key elements of the scientific method, the different types of investigations developed by the public administration research community. The course will equip the students with the relevant tools to develop their final Master’s Project.

MPA 607 – Fiscal Management and Budgeting

This course is designed to allow the students to develop a thorough understanding of the theory and practice of public budgeting and financial management. It explores various dimensions of public budgeting and financial management and the significance of resource allocation and management decisions within the public sector in promoting macroeconomic stability, social equity and economic growth/development. It describes the ‘political context’ of public budgeting identifying key actors and processes involved in budgeting and management of public funds. Through a series of lectures, readings, seminars, and interactive workshops you will learn how public managers and ministers work within the budgetary frameworks to balance competing objectives and complex demands for accountability and external control. You will also learn fiscal rules and principles, role of oversight agencies and the approaches they use towards ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, equity and ethical use of public funds. Finally, the course focuses on issues and challenges in public sector financial management & contemporary trends and developments in this regard.

MPA 608 – Strategic Management and Leadership

Today’s managers and leaders especially those in the public sector operate in an increasingly complex and challenging environment. The emerging socio-political, economic and technological developments demand that public managers reposition themselves, think and act strategically, and employ innovative methods in leading and managing organizations in order to meet the changing demands of various stakeholders. This module introduces the students with unique context within which public managers operate and challenges in leading and managing organizations in the public sector. It seeks to sharpen their understanding of the importance of leadership, role of senior leaders in managing changes and skills and competencies required to be effective in tackling various challenges. It also considers strategic planning and management in the public sector, tools available to managers, and the evaluation of policies emanating from strategic initiatives. The module concludes with leadership development approaches and explores the learning for public managers operating in the Kazakhstani context.

MPA 609 – Human Resource Policy and Management

This course introduces GSPP and other graduate students to human resource management (H.R.M.) in public and non-profit organizations. It focuses on human capital issues and challenges facing today’s leaders, managers, and human resource professionals in these two sectors. Topics covered include but are not limited to the recruitment, selection, motivation, training, and retention of staff, equal employment opportunity, and employee productivity and job satisfaction in public and non-profit organizations.

MPA 610 – Program Evaluation

Public resources are limited, and decisions regarding how to use these scarce public resources must be informed by an understanding of how well public programs and policies produce their desired outcomes. Knowledge of evaluation methods enables public administrators to: 1) use evaluation findings to improve ongoing programs; 2) work with evaluation consultants to design an evaluation project; and 3) critique evaluation studies cited by various organizations in a policy debate. This course will introduce you to the art and science of evaluation. You will learn methods of collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating information used in evaluation studies.

MPA 699 Master’s Project with an Overseas Component

The Master’s Project is a final requirement for students on the MPA program. It may be conducted as a public policy or management exercise. In both cases, it is expected to be an exercise in which students will be able to apply relevant knowledge and skills gained during the MPA program including: defining and structuring the problem; organizing data; defining and carrying out analysis of the issue; developing specific action recommendations; and defending their findings publicly. The Master’s Project is an opportunity for students to focus on a policy problem of their own preference in greater depth than is available in a classroom setting. The Master’s Project will include identification of a public policy problem, preferably in the Kazakhstan or Central Asia context, its analysis from a theoretical or empirical prospective, and in case of practical exercise, formulation of a policy proposal and a feasible program of implementation. 

A complete list of courses, including electives, can be found on the Registrar’s website.