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:
- Lead and manage in public governance;
- Participate in and contribute to the policy process;
- Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions;
- Articulate and apply a public service perspective; and
- 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:
- 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.
- Core Courses – courses that all MPA students are required to complete within the program.
- 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.
- 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.