Ph.D. in Eurasian Studies Program
Astana, Kazakhstan
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* merit-based scholarships are available
Introduction
The Ph.D. in Eurasian Studies consists of a minimum of four years of full-time study, culminating in the completion of a doctoral dissertation. Most candidates complete three to four semesters’ worth of coursework. The main component of the degree is the doctoral thesis, which is co-supervised by an advisor from NU and an external advisor. After passing qualifying exams, each student writes a dissertation based on their own original research, applying the methods, theories, and accumulated scholarly wisdom of the core curriculum and their chosen subject areas.
The Ph.D. program in Eurasian Studies at Nazarbayev University is the first interdisciplinary, English-medium doctoral program in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Central Asia. It is designed according to the highest international standards and taught by highly-qualified faculty, but at the same time is adapted to the educational, social, and intellectual environment of Kazakhstan and the wider region.
General information
- Campus: Astana, Kazakhstan
- Language: English
- Delivery mode: Full-time, on-campus
- Duration: 4 years
School of Sciences and Humanities
The academic staff at Nazarbayev University’s School of Sciences and Humanities comprises scholars with doctoral degrees from leading universities around the world. We also have researchers involved in various studies, and our scientists in the natural sciences conduct research in about 90 laboratories. Some of our faculty members even specialize in Eurasian studies. Admitted students of NUSSH can rest assured of tapping from our faculty’s wealth of knowledge and experience, both inside and outside the classroom.
We keep our classes small so students can readily receive one-on-one attention from their instructors. Moreover, instructors can tailor classes to the need of each student for the best learning experience owing to our student-centered learning. Our professors can work with the weaknesses of every student and improve their strengths. Laboratory experience and research involvement are not spared from this approach: our students get practical laboratory experience and collaborate with their colleagues or their professors in research.
Students are also provided with academic support. For instance, students have access to writing instructors and coaches that will help them become assertive writers through our Writing Center. Also, thanks to our long-existing Peer Advising Center, we provide our students with a team of peer advisors, most of whom are trained students, who assist other students with various academic decisions, such as course selections, general orientation for new students, or if a student needs help using university resources.
Strategic partner
University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA)
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)
- The University of Pennsylvania (USA)
- The University of Cambridge (UK)
- Colorado School of Mines (USA)
- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (USA)
- The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA)
- The Oak Ridge Associated Universities (USA)
Admissions
Curriculum
Our program combines a core curriculum of key concepts in the humanities and social sciences, practical training in necessary writing and research techniques and ethics, and rigorous subject-specific training across at least two disciplines. Students have space, time and flexibility they need to write a doctoral thesis that makes an original contribution to the field. Funding opportunities for research abroad and co-supervision by NU and non-NU experts enables our students to develop a truly international profile.
We train students to become versatile and internationally competitive scholars in the Eurasian region. Graduates from this doctoral program share a range of qualities and abilities, as well as field-specific skills that make them both “interdisciplinary” and “flexible.” Truly interdisciplinary research demonstrates a solid grounding in one discipline and sufficiently deep training in one or more others, which enables the scholar to build real bridges between various disciplines. Graduates of this program combine strong disciplinary and interdisciplinary training with first-hand knowledge of the region, a command of the primary and secondary sources consistent with world-class scholarship on this region of the world, knowledge of requisite research languages, and excellent academic English.
Core Modules
- Introduction to Eurasia
- Critical Issues in Eurasian Studies
- Proseminar in Eurasian Humanities OR Proseminar in Eurasian Social Sciences
- Dissertation Research I
- Dissertation Research II
Elective Modules
- Discipline 1 Elective A
- Advanced Academic Writing
- Discipline 1 Elective B
- Discipline 2 Elective A
- Open Elective 1
- Doctoral Seminar in Eurasian Studies I
- Discipline 2 Elective B
- Discipline 1 or 2 Elective C
- Open Elective 2
- Doctoral Seminar in Eurasian Studies II
- Open Elective 3
Career Opportunities
Graduates of this program are attractive to universities, governments, and other non-governmental institutions, to employers in the Central Asia region, in the broader region of Central Eurasia (including all the countries of the Turkic world), as well as in North America, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere in the world. The program contributes to the modernization of education in Kazakhstan and the development of a highly-trained class of academic, political, social, and cultural leaders with world-class training.