College of Social Sciences

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Statement of purpose

The MPA Program’s purpose is to prepare graduates for careers, leadership positions, and ethical service in public, non-profit, and business organizations. It seeks to demonstrate to Kazakhstan and the Central Asian region the value of high-quality, research-informed teaching of public administration, policy, and management.

The MPA program started in 1994 shortly after the inception of KIMEP. Since then, over 275 MPAs have graduated, contributing skills, knowledge and abilities to public, non-profit service at the national as well as the international level.  We are currently working to internationalize the student body to bring people together to share ideas from across the world, and particularly China and South Asia, as well as former Soviet republics.

The program:

• Promotes excellence in public, non-governmental, and private management and policy-making through the building and strengthening of the analytical and leadership capacity of graduate students;
• Provides graduate students with the generic and specialized management and policy knowledge and skills needed for successful careers in the public, non-governmental, and private sectors; and
• Educates graduate students for ethical service to their society and the broader regional and international community.

The MPA degree requires 36 credits of coursework for students with significant experience in public administration/public policy/public management and/or a bachelor degree in public administration or any related discipline from a recognized university, including KIMEP.  Students new to the field need to complete an additional 12 credits of prerequisite/bridging courses. In other words, for the latter cohort of students, they have to complete 48 credits of coursework to complete the MPA degree.

The courses taught for MPA students are conducted in a number of ways: as advanced lecture courses, as seminars in which faculty and students present critical studies of selected problems within the subject field, as independent study or reading courses, or as research projects conducted under faculty supervision. It is important to note that all graduate courses are offered during evening time to ensure that our students keep their full-time jobs at KIMEP or outside of KIMEP.

Graduate studies imply developing scientific curiosity and acquiring special skills to be able to do the research. Nurturing a research culture among MPA students is one of our very first priorities. Under the guidance of a faculty member, all MPA students are expected to write a thesis (9 credits). A thesis should make a genuine contribution to the understanding and analysis of public policy issues, management and administration in Kazakhstan.

Learning objectives

In order to equip students who graduate from the MPA program with the essential knowledge and skills required by professionals seeking managerial and executive positions in the public, non-profit and private sectors, the program’s learning objectives are to ensure that graduates have:

1. a satisfactory knowledge of the nature of the public sector and its relationship to government, civil society, and the marketplace, and how it can be institutionally arranged;
2. a satisfactory knowledge of economic perspectives on government and public policy, governmental budgeting, and public financial management;
3. a satisfactory knowledge of ethics as they apply to the public sector;
4. a satisfactory knowledge of public organizations and their management and leadership, and the impact of organizational structure, culture, and leadership on organizational change and performance;
5. a satisfactory knowledge of project appraisal and management, and the necessary cognitive, self-management, and interpersonal skills;
6. a satisfactory knowledge of the concepts and theories of public policy and analysis;
7. a satisfactory capacity to undertake supervised independent research, involving the synthesis and application of theoretical constructs to topics in the fields of public administration, policy, and management
8. a satisfactory capacity to communicate ideas and information clearly and effectively in written and oral English;
9. a satisfactory capacity to use information technology for the retrieval, analysis and presentation of information; and
10. a satisfactory capacity to work effectively with others in the pursuit of common objectives.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Master of Public Administration Program a candidate must meet the requirements for graduate study at KIMEP. These requirements include a Bachelor degree or equivalent and proficiency in English (an acceptable score on the KIMEP English Entrance Test (KEET) or other equivalent test). Candidates are selected by an admission committee after an interview with the candidate.

To apply for admission a candidate should submit:

1. A completed application form;
2. A certified copy of all academic degrees and transcripts, or Spravka from the granting university certifying that an applicant is a graduating/final-year student, and a copy of transcripts verified at the university;
3. A minimum score of 40 on KEET test and, if available, TOEFL/IELTS scores;
4. Two letters of reference;
5. A current resume;
6. A Statement of Purpose (2-3 pages).

Each eligible applicant will be interviewed in-person or by telephone, if necessary.

Foundation English

With the exception of students with a KEET score of 60 or above, MPA students must complete Foundation English courses according to the following matrix. A TOEFL score of 570 or an IELTS score band 5 or above is equivalent to a KEET score of 60.

Degree Requirements

Requirements for the MPA are as follows:

Program Requirements

The following 14 courses are required for a total of 42 credits.

Notes:

*May be waived for the students with experience and/or education in public administration. PAD5230 Internship in Public Administration course may also be waived for students new to the program who can demonstrate that they have had full-time employment for a minimum period of six-month.

Major requirements

Students must complete two of the following elective courses, unless granted a credit waiver or transfer:

Notes

Previous coursework application submitted for a transfer or waiver of credit will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine MPA graduation requirements. Credits can be transferred or waived for both required and elective courses. Every course submitted for a transfer or waiver of credit must have an overall grade point average of at least B- (2.67 on the KIMEP grade point average scale).

Program Plan

The following table is a sample program of study to finish the MPA degree in two years.  Students who need to complete English and/or prerequisite courses would need another one or two semesters to complete the program.

An indicative study program for full-time ordinary students without any experience and/or education in public administration be: