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. 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. The Online MPA program will involve a compulsory online or on-campus immersion that introduces candidates to relevant concepts in public administration, economics, research methods and leadership, the requirements for the Master’s Project, and the academic resources available to support their studies at NU.
This Orientation provides an invaluable opportunity to visit the Nazarbayev University campus in Astana; network in person with faculty, peers, and alumni; and engage in hands-on learning.

2. Core Courses – courses that all Online MPA program students are required to complete within the program. These courses are aimed to build core competencies in students and deliver the program learning outcomes.
After mastering the core competencies, students are expected to assimilate and apply their knowledge to specific topical issues. Through elective coursework, they can explore a particular area of interest in greater depth, and develop specialized skills in their chosen field.

3. Elective Courses – Elective Courses in the Online MPA program allow students to choose from a range of options. Elective courses are subject to change as they are based on students’ interests and preferences, faculty availability and program design.

4. The Master’s Project (MP) - a capstone project where students complete a client-oriented study focused on an organization’s needs. This may involve evaluating programs, addressing management issues or analyzing organizational policies. Students may also choose to complete a project for their current employer or another organization as long as all course deliverables are sufficiently met. Students may work on projects individually or in a team under the supervision of a GSPP faculty member.
The Master’s Project should demonstrate the students’ ability to effectively 1) integrate ideas, concepts, and skills learned throughout the Online MPA curriculum; 2) design a data driven research project to study the chosen issue; and 3) effectively communicate their research results to both academic and professional audiences.

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.

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.

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.