Upon completion of an academic program, students will be awarded the Master in Public Administration degree.

Lectures, seminars, tutorials, flipped classrooms, blended learning, laboratory practicum, individual and team projects, independent study, field trips (including overseas), simulation, case studies, other methods.

Examinations, term papers, essays, presentations, final projects, case studies, reflective practice, portfolio, quizzes, debates, role play, audio/video production, peer and self-assessment, other methods.

Progression.To continue in the program, students must be in Good Academic Standing at the conclusion of each grading period as determined by:

1. minimum CGPA for Good Academic Standing is ≥ 2.67; and
2. timely completion of milestones for Master’s Project with Overseas Component.

Completion. Satisfactory completion of the program requires that the student progresses through a number of distinct stages, each of which is characterized by a key evaluation point. The necessary stages are:

1. Successful completion of all core and elective modules in the program as outlined in the Curriculum;
2. Completion and successful defense of the Master’s Project with Overseas Component.

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 students are required to complete within the program.

3. Elective Courses – courses that MPP program 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.

Admission to the MPA program is merit-based. Award 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) funded by the Government, 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, a great thinker, composer, philosopher, 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. Number of seats for a fee-paying education is approved annually by the Nazarbayev University depending on the capacity of the Schools.

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.

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.

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.

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.