General aims of the program:

• to prepare doctoral students to address a wide spectrum of public management and applied policy-related problems using theoretical frameworks, rigorous analytical techniques, and ethical perspectives,
• to promote evidence-based decision-making and management,
• to support and encourage professional growth and interdisciplinary cooperation for faculty and doctoral students, and
• to achieve recognition as one of the leading programs for training the top echelons in the public sector in the Republic of Kazakhstan and in the Central Asian Region.

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

1) lead and manage in the public interest;
2) participate in, and contribute to the policy process;
3) analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make evidence-informed decisions in a complex and dynamic environment;
4) articulate, apply, and advance a public service perspective;
5) communicate and interact productively and in culturally responsive ways with a diverse and changing workforce and society at large;
6) professional competency: conduct applied research through application of theories, methods and knowledge to address key questions and add to the body of research studies on public policy, public administration and public management in Central Asia.

Lectures, seminars and tutorials, independent study, peer mentoring and peer-assisted study groups, synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning, flipped classrooms, blended learning, case studies and simulation.

In order to graduate with a Doctor of Public Management, students must acquire 200 ECTS and progress through a number of distinct stages, each of which is characterized by a key evaluation/assessment point. The necessary stages are:

• Successful completion of all required coursework in the program
• Passing the DPM Qualifying Examination
• Preparation and successful defense of the thesis proposal
• Conducting the necessary research for the thesis
• Presenting progress reports on the thesis research
• Writing the thesis in an appropriate format
• Approval of the thesis by the supervision committee
• Viva voce examination of thesis by the thesis examination committee

It is expected that most DPM students will complete the program within 3 years. Students will notify and obtain the endorsement of their supervisors of their intention to submit the thesis for examination.

Program Tuition: US $18 000 per academic year
Per 1 ECTS: US $270
Financial Aid:

• 75% off for socially vulnerable groups
• 50% off for employees of state institutions and state enterprises of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Central Asian region
• 50% off for employees of Nazarbayev University and its subsidiary organizations, including family members (children and spouses)

In case the applicant falls into different categories, the lowest tuition fee amount is applied.

As a core subject this course aims to introduce you to key concepts and practices in public sector administration and management. It seeks to familiarize you with the theoretical and analytical perspectives and debates surrounding the field. Over the past decades there have been widespread changes to the nature and operations of the public sector which have posed significant challenges and opportunities for public managers. Through a series of interactive seminars and case-based discussions this course provides a forum to debate, interrogate and analyze these changes, and the challenges and dilemmas public managers face under contemporary approaches to public administration and management. Complex public service environments are examined together with the trends and transformations, their underlying values and practical/managerial implications. The course modules are divided into two broad themes. First, we consider the environment in which public managers operate and key theoretical perspectives including the reinvention of the public sector- reform processes that have spread across the globe including those that are currently underway. The second part focuses on emerging issues in public management and service delivery approaches. It also examines the application of newer approaches in developing countries drawing on examples and lessons from Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

This module introduces students to the public policy process, various theoretical and analytical frameworks, and an overall evolution of the discipline and its possible future directions. The module helps students appreciate substantive policy issues as well as theoretical issues across policy areas. The first part mainly focuses on various theories of the policy process and how to apply them in policy analysis. In that, the module draws on inter and multi -disciplinary approaches to policy analysis focusing on real world cases. The second part of the module brings in comparative public policy perspectives with special reference to contemporary developments including globalization, global governance, and transnational policy problems. The module takes a research seminar format, where every week the teacher leads the discussion while students critically appraise various theories and frameworks given in the weekly readings. Each student is expected, on a particular week, to summarize scholarly readings in an insightful and critical fashion as well as to contribute a thoughtful question for the seminar’s consideration.