Department of History, Philosophy and Religious Studies
Master of Arts in Eurasian Studies
The Master of Arts in Eurasian Studies at Nazarbayev University is a two-year inter-disciplinary area studies programme taught in English. It is the first of its kind to be offered in Kazakhstan, and one of only a handful across the Eurasian Region.
The M.A. in Eurasian Studies prepares students to understand the exciting developments in Eurasia of the past two decades. It offers an exciting opportunity to explore the cultures, languages, histories, communities, societies, and politics of Eurasia while based in Astana, at the heart of the region itself. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Nazarbayev University has an unrivalled concentration of internationally-qualified Faculty who research and teach on the Eurasian region across different disciplines.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOME
On successful completion of the M.A. in Eurasian Studies, students should be able to:
  1. Critically analyze and demonstrate detailed knowledge of the history, culture and society of the Eurasian Region through independent research and study.
  2. Design, plan and undertake independent research using appropriate methods and techniques, and draw their own conclusions from the data they have collected.
  3. Differentiate, compare and employ concepts from different disciplines and/or interdisciplinary approaches as a means of understanding the Eurasian Region and as praxis.
  4. Identify, define, use and critically interrogate a range of primary and secondary, written and/or oral and/or visual sources, in their original language.
  5. Construct comprehensive research bibliographies, read and analyze of complex scholarly texts in English with a high degree of speed and proficiency, present their research in fluent English, and to produce English-language written work of article length and of publishable quality in the field of Eurasian Studies.

Where necessary, students should also acquire knowledge of a Eurasian language and apply these linguistic skills effectively at Master’s Level.
Holders of the qualification will have the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment in academia, policy-making, research, journalism, NGOs and government service within and beyond the Eurasian region. These include the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility; the ability to sift and evaluate large amounts of evidence and data, and use them to compose clear and well-ordered arguments; decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations; a critical approach to knowledge, and the independent learning ability required for continuing professional and academic development.