Ph.D. in Education

The Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education Ph.D. program combines intensive coursework, a semester at one of the partner universities (the University of Cambridge or University of Pennsylvania), and in-depth exploration of advanced research methodology to develop scholars and independent researchers in the field of Education. It is a full-time four-year program.

Central to the NUGSE Ph.D. experience is the completion of a substantial piece of independent research, in the form of a Ph.D. dissertation. Graduates of the NUGSE Ph.D. program will be expected to act as key players in education reform and policy development in Kazakhstan.

General information

• Campus: Astana, Kazakhstan
• Language: English
• Delivery mode: Full-time, on-campus
• Duration: 4 years

"As educators, not only must we refuse to settle for easy consensus, to simplify, to neutralize, or to translate; we must also accept and assume the responsibility to ‘think, speak, and act’ within aporetic situations…. Most of all, we must engage students in a quest for knowledge which should take them way beyond the boundaries of their immediate socio-politico-cultural contexts in space and in time. We must encourage them to take risks in learning and discovering the other, the unknown while building a greater sense of responsibility."
Denise Egéa,
NUGSE Professor

Graduate School of Education

The Graduate School of Education (GSE) at Nazarbayev University aspires to become an influential, world-class graduate school of education, effecting change in educational thinking, policy, and practice at all levels of education through scholarly research, quality teaching, and persuasive argument. Through its research, teaching, and scholarship, the GSE is committed to working to improve education for all, sustaining a vision of education that enables individuals to maximize their own potential, free from the constraints of poverty and background, within the context of mutual understanding and global interdependence.

Strategic partner

• The University of Pennsylvania (USA)
• The University of Cambridge (UK)

Other strategic partners of Nazarbayev University

• Duke University, Fuqua School of Business (USA)
• The National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Singapore)
• Colorado School of Mines (USA)
• The University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA)
• The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (USA)
• The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA)
• The Oak Ridge Associated Universities (USA)

Core courses

• Academic English for Doctoral Students
• Globalization and Education
• Educational Studies in Context
• Education Research Methods
• Educational Policy and Reform
• Kazakh Language for Educators
• Philosophy of Education
• Preparation for Proposal Defense
• Pre-Dissertation Seminar
• Advanced Methods of Educational Research
• International Study
• Doctoral Seminar
• Dissertation Research
• Proposal Defense