Application Deadline
May 16, 2022 - first priority deadline
June 13, 2022 - second priority deadline
Admission Period
August 15-28, 2022
 
Start of semester
August 25, 2022
 
Duration
3 years
 
Language
English
 
Study Type
Campus
 
Location
KZ, Almaty
 
Mission of the program

The objective of the Ph.D. program in public and municipal administration is to encourage intellectual inquiry and to foster the creativity and academic excellence that are to produce successful researchers, teachers, and practitioners. Graduates will acquire the skills to be highly competitive in the international academic labor market, and will have the ability to make contributions at the frontiers of their fields of specialization.

Learning Goals and Objectives
The Ph.D. program in Public and Municipal Administration aims to produce graduates who can, among other things:
  1. Select and construct a methodology suitable for their research topic;
  2. Appraise the historical origins and institutional foundations of traditional, legal-rational, and social-democratic political systems;
  3. Identify key civic and political actors in the agenda-setting and decision-making of public policy;
  4. Analyze economic events and decisions in terms of efficiency and equity;
  5. Apply principles of public budgeting and financial management;
  6. Evaluate the relationships between fiscal and monetary policies and how they affect income distribution;
  7. Distinguish between normative and action-oriented facets of social policy;
  8. Formulate and design environmental conditions for economic and technological innovation;
  9. Produce an original policy contribution in the form of an advanced doctoral dissertation.
Research Areas
The department’s areas of expertise are
  • state-building and comparative development
  • social modernization and New Institutional Economics
  • public administration and bureaucracy
  • organizational design and behavior
  • civil society and NGOs
  • local government
  • civil service reform
  • administrative law
  • human rights law
  • human resource management
  • public policy of Kazakhstan
  • social policy
  • healthcare delivery and reform
  • education and science policy
  • industrial policy
  • oil and gas policy
  • natural resource management
  • immigration studies
  • human geography and urban design
  • sustainable development and green economy
  • taxation and customs administration
  • public management
  • fiscal governance
  • contracting out and New Public Management
  • project management and evaluation
  • gender and women’s leadership
  • e-government and technology for sustainable development
Curriculum
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PUBLIC AND MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION
Degree Requirements

Requirements for the Ph.D. program are as follows:

Requirements Credits ECTS
Course Work 15 25
Core Courses 6 10
Specialization Courses 9 15
Pedagogic Internship 3 10
Research Internship 3 10
Experimental Research Work Including
Dissertation and Research Practice
49 123
Final Attestation 5 12
Total 75 180
Grade Point Average

A student must maintain a cumulative 3.33 GPA throughout the program. Courses in which grades below “B-” are received but are not accepted for the Ph.D. degree. Grades received in courses transferred from another institution are not included in calculation of the grade point average. If a grade of “C+” or lower is received, the student should repeat the course. More than one retake should acquire an approval from the Council. When the GPA is calculated, the grade for the repeated course will substitute for the original grade. Grades of “I” turn to “F” if work is not completed by the 7th week of the following semester.

Core Course (6 credits/ 10 ECTS)
Course Code Course Title Credits ECTS Prerequisite
PAD6503 Research Methods 3 5 none
CSS6103 Academic Writing for Ph.D. Students in the Social Sciences 3 5
Total 6 10
Specialization Courses (9 credits, 15 ECTS)

Students may choose one of the following courses

Course Code Course Title Credits ECTS Prerequisite
PAD6269 Comparative Governance and Development of Industrial Countries 3 5 None
PAD6211 Contemporary Models of Public Administration and Management 3 5 None
PAD6268 Comparative Public Policy 3 5 None
PAD6123 Economic Perspectives on Government 3 5 None
PAD6255 Selected Issues in Public Policy and Program Implementation 3 5 None
Pedagogic, Industry Internship and Research Work including Dissertation (Total of 55 credits, 143 ECTS)
Course Code Course Title Credits ECTS
Pedagogic Internship 3 10
Research Internship 3 10
Experimental Research Work and Dissertation 46 118
Research Practice 3 5
Final Attestation (5 credits/ 12 ECTS)
Course Code Course Title Credits ECTS
PAD6231.2 Dissertation and Defense 5 12
Research and Pedagogical Internship

Internship gives Ph.D. students an opportunity to put into practice the knowledge acquired during their studies, get some business and academic experience and be better prepared for their future career. Details of this requirement are specified in the Ph.D. Handbook.

Research Work

Under this component of the Ph.D. program, requirement to undertake appropriate research activities that lead to conference presentations, journal publications and international internship abroad. Details of this requirement are specified in the Ph.D. Handbook.

Dissertation and Ph.D. Dissertation Defense

Ph.D. dissertation is a scholarly research work, involving the analysis of a specific problem in the area of specialization, evaluation of the results of the analysis, which serves as a basis for developing specific proposals and implementing the appropriate solution to the problem. The student will present an oral defense of their dissertation in front of the members of the dissertation committee, in a public forum. Details of this requirement are specified in the Ph.D. Handbook.

Tentative Program Plan

Students may take courses in any order they wish as long as courses meet all prerequisites. The following schedule is suggested to ensure that students make orderly progress towards degree completion, by taking prerequisites before the courses that require prerequisites.

Career Opportunities
The program prepares graduates for top-rank careers as:
  • Policy advisers and analysts to governments and international development institutions;
  • Head of Research Units in private and public organizations;
  • Faculty members in academic institutions;
  • Managerial positions combining roles in strategic decision-making, research and research administration.
Core Faculty
  • Francis Amagoh, Ph.D. (Virginia Commonwealth, USA)
  • Saule Emrich-Bakenova, Ph.D. (Carleton University, Canada)
  • Aslan Tanekenov, Ph.D. (Herriot-Watt University, UK)
  • Kristopher White, Ph.D. (University of Connecticut Storrs, USA)
  • Dennis Soltys, Ph.D. (University of Toronto, Canada)
Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program is highly competitive. Admission is granted to candidates deemed most likely to complete and benefit from the program. The final decision on admission is based on a comprehensive assessment of the applicant’s overall qualifications, motivation, determination and commitment to the program.

1. Completed graduate degree
  • Copy of a diploma confirming the completion of a graduate degree “master”
  • Copy of transcripts (diploma supplement) with grades
2. Possession of the valid international certificates proving the knowledge of the English Language
  • IELTS – at least 5,5
  • TOEFL IBT – at least 46
  • TOEFL PBT – at least 453
Additional consideration by a selection committee:
  • At least three years of experience in academia;
  • The graduate GPA shall be 3.0 out of 4.0 and above or more than 69% equivalent when converted into a scale comparable to the KIMEP grading scale
  • A typed statement of purpose of up to 500 words that states the applicant’s academic and professional interests; how the applicant will benefit from the Ph.D. program professionally and personally; the applicant’s strengths and qualities that will enable them to complete a rigorous doctoral program;
  • A 2-3 page research proposal: In this proposal, the candidate should lay out the general idea of their intended research and some indicative description of the method they intend to use. The candidate should demonstrate familiarity with current research, the ability to identify open research questions and the ability to create an original research proposal;
  • An interview with program admissions committee where admissions committee may consider additional evidence of excellence or aptitude such as prior publications of work experience and have the final decision making authority on the recommendation of the candidate for admission to PH.D. program;
  • Additional exams required by MES.
Contacts
For enquires about the program:

College of Social Sciences
Program Coordinator:
Kamila Mussina, office # 503 (Valikhanov Building),
Tel.: +7 727 270 42 12 (ext. 3266)

css_coordinator@kimep.kz


For enquiries about the admission

050010, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
4 Abai Avenue Admissions Office, Valikhanov bld.
Telephone: +7 727 270 42 13+7 727 270 42 48
Mobile: +7 707 170 42 13
E-mail: phd@kimep.kz


Working hours: Monday – Friday, 8.30 am – 6.00 pm

https://www.kimep.kz/prospective-students/en/admission/

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