EDUC 701 Education Research Methods
This course provides an overview of research methods as well as a general introduction to research in education. The course will enable students to develop an initial understanding of the nature of inquiry as well as engage in some of the basic processes of designing and conducting quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research.

EDUC 704 Advanced Methods of Education Research (Quantitative Methods)
The course provides a clear overview of research methodology. In particular, the course provides information needed to understand quantitative methods process from idea formulation to data analysis and interpretation. Students will be able to use descriptive and inferential statistical analysis to conduct scientific educational research on their topics of personal interest.

EDUC 705
Advanced Methods of Education Research (Qualitative Methods)
EDUC 705 Advanced Methods of Education Research: Qualitative Methods course will examine several common qualitative research methods from both a theoretical and applied perspective. Students will gain practical experience in conducting qualitative research and analyzing qualitative data. The course also trains students to evaluate qualitative research and identify the strengths and weaknesses in the different approaches to data collection.

EDUC 709 Introduction to Scholarship in Education
The primary purpose of this course is to offer students who enter the Graduate School of Education doctoral program one common course that introduces them to becoming a scholar and a member of the academic community. In this course, students will learn the basic skills you need to engage in scholarly work and critical thought so as to participate as professionals in academia.

EDUC 711 Globalization and Education
This course takes as a premise that globalization and education are linked in multiple ways in the current era. Researchers, policymakers and educators everywhere are increasingly tasked with accounting for the global mobility of policies, practices, people, and ideas, and this course provides the theoretical resources needed for this task.

EDUC 712 Education Policy and Reform
This course is designed to provide a clear outlined overview of education policy and reform in an international background and context. The course covers the entire system of education including primary, secondary and higher education.

EDUC 720 Philosophy of Education
This course is designed to provide doctoral students with an in-depth introduction to philosophy of education as an academic discipline. It will introduce various theoretical discourses in the field of philosophy in education and the representative works of major influential philosophers.

EDUC 760 Teaching and Learning in the University Context: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Based on current research within higher education in international and Kazakhstani contexts, the course provides PhD students with an overview of the field of higher education teaching and learning, in order to develop student knowledge and capacity for teaching in a higher education setting.

EDUC 571/572/573
Basic Kazakh/ Kazakh for Professional Purposes/ Academic Writing in Kazakh
One of the three offered Academic Kazakh must be taken by each Kazakhstani student before graduation.

EDUC 590/ 591 /592 Academic English Writing for Doctoral Students
These courses help PhD students to develop the academic writing skills they need to complete doctoral work. Practical sessions cover the skills students need to be able to write accurately and coherently in appropriate academic style.

EDUC 585
Education in Kazakhstan for International Students
The International Student Seminar is a course designed for international GSE PhD or Master’s students who do not take Academic Kazakh. The course provides students with an opportunity to engage directly with educational contexts in Kazakhstan, and to critically reflect on these contexts in relation to knowledge and experience gained in other contexts. The course comprises three strands of, (1) engagement with education theory, policy and practice in Kazakhstan, through academic literature, policy analysis and discussions with relevant stakeholders, (2) design and implementation of a small-scale inquiry project exploring an educational issue of interest in Kazakhstan, and (3) presentation of work completed in the course for different audiences in oral and written forms. Work accomplished in this course will be comparable to a graduate-level classroom course, designed and assessed appropriately for Level 7 (Master’s) or Level 8 (PhD).

EDUC 800 International Study
This course is the course that students in the Ph.D. program will register for when they are studying an 8-week module at the highly reputable university. Course activities are organized in collaboration with the student’s PhD Supervisor to meet the specific research and education needs of the student.

EDUC 727 Exploring the Research Topic 1
This is a course for PhD students entering their first program semester, Fall of Year 1. This is a student-self-directed course with the following goals: 1. To provide students with an opportunity to explore their research topic in dialogue with NUGSE faculty (course Instructors and others in formal and informal discussions); their fellow students; and in reflection on PhD course learning and independent studies / reading; 2. To consider possible members of their PhD Thesis Advisory Committee: PhD Advisory Committees are assigned in December/January of Year 1, and students will be given the opportunity to express their preferences; 3. To explore and mobilize NU and NUGSE resources that will facilitate clarification and development of their PhD Thesis research project; 4. To prepare students for EDUC 728 Exploring the Research Topic 2: this is a course taken in second program semester, Spring of Year 1, in which they will further explore and develop their topic under the guidance of their PhD Thesis Advisory Committee.

EDUC 728 Exploring the Research Topic 2
This is a course for PhD students entering their second program semester, Spring of Year 1. This is a student-self-directed course, following on student progress in EDUC 727 Exploring Research Topic 1, and the course has the following goals: 1. To provide students with an opportunity to further explore their research topic in dialogue with their recently-assigned Advisory Teams (Main Advisor and Co-Advisor); course instructors; their fellow students; and in reflection on PhD course learning and independent study; 2. To identify and mobilize NU and NUGSE resources that will facilitate further development of their PhD Thesis research project – for example, key journals, books and policy texts available in the NU Library and other sites; 3. To prepare students for EDUC 729 Developing the Research Topic, a Summer student-directed course designed to provide students with opportunity to develop their research project with greater clarity.

EDUC 729 Developing the Research Topic
This is a course for PhD students entering the first Summer term, prior to the Fall semester of Year 2. This is a student-self-directed course, following on student progress in EDUC 728 Exploring Research Topic 2. The course will provide students with an opportunity to develop their research topic with greater clarity under the guidance of their recently-assigned Advisory Teams and in reflection on PhD course learning and independent study. The course will prepare students for the next stage of the PhD research project development, the PhD proposal.

EDUC 730 Preparation for Proposal Defense
This course is composed of a series of advisory sessions between the student and the advisory committee. The course is structured around preparing a proposal draft for assessment and developing preliminary data collection tools such as pilot material for the proposal defense. Course learning is linked to EDUC 591 Academic English Writing for Doctoral Students 2, which specifically develops student capacity to plan and write a thesis proposal. Following the course, the student will demonstrate course learning in a completed draft of a feasible research proposal in his or her field of specialization.

EDUC 733 Thesis Proposal Defense
This course is taken by students in the semester/term when the Advisory Committee determines the Thesis Proposal Defense will take place. This course can be taken in any semester or term. This 25 ECTS course is a Pass/Fail course.

EDUC 740 Doctoral Seminar
This course is a series of doctoral seminars that meet each semester from the point at which students are admitted to Ph.D. Candidacy until they complete and defend their Ph.D. dissertation. The topics and focus of these seminars will vary, but all will involve extensive reading into the educational literature, critical discussions with peers and faculty, and writing both short discussion papers and longer papers on topics to be discussed.

EDUC 751 Dissertation Research
This course is a course for which students enroll to indicate that they are conducting research or writing their Ph.D. dissertation. Students must maintain continuous enrollment each semester (Fall/Spring) while working on their dissertation.

EDUC 753 Thesis Defense
This course is taken by students in the semester/term when the Advisory Committee determines the Thesis Defense will take place. This course can be taken in any semester or term. This 110 ECTS course is a Pass/Fail course.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Education Program is a 4-year full-time Program. Students undertake their studies at Nazarbayev University, with an 8-week module at the highly reputable university.

Each PhD student is assigned an Advisory Committee comprising a Main Advisor and a Co-Advisor from the Graduate School of Education. Upon the Advisory Committee's request, a student may also have an External Advisor from another university.

Throughout the duration of the Program, every student will be required to complete a series of milestones. These include completing coursework, passing a Qualifying Exam, developing and defending a PhD research proposal, obtaining approval from the Ethics Committee, writing and defending a PhD thesis.

Allocation of Advisors - Fall Year 1
Beginning Research Proposal - Summer Year1
Study Abroad - Fall Year 2: Dates TBC
Qualifying Examination - Spring Year 2: January-February
Proposal Defense - End of Spring Year 2
Data Collection and Analysis - Fall Year 3
First Thesis Draft/Revisions - Spring Year 4
Submission of Final Thesis Draft - Spring Year 4
Submission & Defense - Spring/Summer Year 4

On successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

• critically analyze educational theories, concepts, issues and debates in national, regional and international contexts;
• demonstrate in-depth understanding of the philosophical underpinning of educational research with specific reference to individual thesis research projects;
• critically analyze, evaluate and apply educational research generated by others;
• conceptualize, plan and conduct educational research projects in their chosen field in accordance with scholarly integrity;
• make a contribution to the body of knowledge in their area of specialization through original research, including developing national and international publications;
• effectively communicate their area of expertise to different audiences in a variety of formats;
• take initiative to work for education advancement in Kazakhstan and beyond through engagement in educational research, policy, and practice;
• work collaboratively with others from diverse background to achieve shared goals;
• teach in their discipline at the university level.