The Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers groundbreaking undergraduate programs building on the faculty’s excellence in academic research, teaching, and public service. In our research, we examine the processes of social and cultural life in various human societies and time spans and ask the following questions:

• What does it mean to be human?
• What does it mean to live in a society?
• Why do we behave the way we do?
• How can we live together in this world?

We offer courses and undergraduate programs in Sociology and Anthropology. We also contribute to interdisciplinary graduate programs at Nazarbayev University: MA in Eurasian Studies and PhD in Eurasian Studies by teaching courses and supervising students' research. The faculty of the department consists over 15 internationally recognized scholars with expertise in various areas that comprise sociology and anthropology.

The courses offered by the department range from introductory courses to sociology, subfields of anthropology and social science research methods to advanced courses that teach various research methods to courses that focus on specialized subjects of Sociology and Anthropology, such as gender analysis, social linguistics, social policy analysis, criminology, biological and medical anthropology, archaeology, etc .

The department offers students research opportunities by engaging them as research assistants to faculty research or by supervising students' independent studies (including credit-bearing courses). In the final year of the program, sociology and anthropology majors design and conduct independent capstone research projects, which culminate in undergraduate BA theses or a community engagement research reports.

The department highly values students' engagement. With encouragement and support of the department, sociology and anthropology majors have created and run the Sociology and Anthropology Students' Association (SASA), an active and student-driven organization , with the aim of promoting sociology and anthropology among the NU community and general public, creating a sense of shared identity and camaraderie among sociology and anthropology majors, connecting them to alumni, and helping them navigate the world of employment opportunities and graduate studies.

The department maintains close relationships with various organizations in Nur-Sultan, including research, nonprofit, governmental, international organizations and for-profit companies to offer students networking and internship opportunities.

The department runs and hosts a Society and Culture lecture series that serve as a forum of scholars from and outside NU who share their research and discuss relevant policy and social issues.