Master of Public and Municipal Administration

Requirements for the MPMA are as follows:

	Credits	ECTS
Program Foundation Requirements	11	15
Program Specialization Requirements	27	45
Experimental Research Work	6	18
Final Attestation	4	12
Total Required for Graduation	48	90

Program Foundation courses 11 / 15 ECTS

Subject Item	KIMEP-credits	ECTS-credits
Program Foundation required courses	5	6
Professional Foreign Language	2	2
Management for Social Sciences	1	2
Psychology for Social Sciences	2	2
Program Foundation Elective courses	6	9
Essentials of Public Administration and Management	3	4,5
Statistical Methods for Public Administration	3	4,5
Public Sector Economics	3	4,5
Subject Item	KIMEP-credits	ECTS-credits
Program Major required courses	15	25
Economic Perspectives on Government	3	5
Fiscal Governance	3	5
Statistical Methods for Public Administration	3	5
Organizational Behavior for Public Organizations	3	5
Research Methods	3	5

*Students may choose one of two majors and need to take any four elective courses from the chosen major 12

Major in Policy Advocacy and Communication
Subject Item	KIMEP-credits	ECTS-credits
	12	20
Economic Perspectives on Government	3	5
CSR and Public Policy	3	5
NGOs and Non-Profit Management	3	5
Public Sector Reform	3	5
Current Issues in Public Administration	3	5
Political Communication	3	5
Major in Human Capital and Innovation
Subject Item	KIMEP-credits	ECTS-credits
	12	20
Economic Perspectives on Government	3	5
Administrative and Management Ethics	3	5
Governance and Development	3	5
Social Policy	3	5
Human Resource Management	3	5
Special Topics in Human Capital and innovation	3	5
Work and Organizational Psychology	3	5
Education and Science Policy	3	5
Investment for Human Capital Development	3
Experimental Research Work	6
Research Seminar	3
Research Internship	3
Final Attestation	4	12
Thesis and Thesis Defense	4	12
Total	48	90

*COURSE (CREDIT) TRANSFER KIMEP University can transfer credits earned in another program/university if the courses are equivalent to the courses offered by the program at KIMEP University. A department committee shall consider each student’s case individually and make an appropriate decision. KIMEP University transfers a maximum of 25 % of the total amount of the credits from bachelor to master program.

PAD5000 Academic Reading and Writing in Public Administration (2 Credits)

This course introduces students to the concepts and ideas of public administration, public policy and public management in the English language. Students are required to read, summarize and make short presentations during the course.

PAD5216 Public Management and Leadership (2 credit)
Prerequisites: PAD5114
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the existing research in public management. The course will focus on critical examination of the evolvement of public management philosophies through the time and assess the impact of managerial reforms by using comparative case study approach. In the course students will learn about challenges that public leaders face in making public organizations more performance and customer oriented and how they are prepared to meet demands of citizens and other stakeholders with different and competing interests in a context of fragmented authority.

PAD 5261: Work and Organizational Psychology (2 Credits)
Prerequisite: None
This course will introduce students to the major concepts of and debates surrounding work and organizational psychology.  Work and organizational psychology is the application of psychological research and theory to human interaction in the workplace. The “Work” part deals with human resource functions such as analyzing jobs, appraising employee performance, selecting, placing, and training employees. The “Organizational” part is concerned with the social and psychological aspects of work, including employee attitudes, behavior, emotions, health, motivation, leadership, etc. Both real-world applications and research will be emphasized throughout the course.

Program Foundation Elective courses

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PAD 5223	Public Sector Economics	3
PAD 5219	Public Policy Analysis	3
PAD5123	Economic Perspectives on Government	3
PAD5222	Social Policy	3

PAD5223 Public Sector Economics (3 credits)

Prerequisites: PAD5114, PAD5123

This course focuses on the role of the government in the economy.  It discusses how the government affects the economy, what the government should and should not do, and why.  It addresses the range of questions of why some economic activities are undertaken in the public sector, and others are in the private sector.  Students will study the size and scope of the public sector in selected countries, and will explore the reasons of why there are substantial differences in government sector activities in countries around the world.  While the main goal of the course is to develop students’ critical thinking about the government involvement in the economy, students will study reasons for government intervention such as a market failure, public goods, government redistribution programs, and government taxation policies.

PAD5117 Public Policy Analysis (3 credit)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

The objective of this course is to develop students’ capacity to conceptualize policy issues and problems, devise strategies for addressing them, and comprehend policy documents. Students will gain an understanding of what is involved in studying public policy, how the political, social, cultural and the social contexts shape public policy, and how public policies are typically made, implemented and evaluated.

PAD5123 Economic Perspectives on Government (3 credit)

Prerequisites: None

This course is about economic issues concerning the public sector and its interface with the private sector in a mixed economy. It examines the free market as the basis for the allocation of scarce resources (market governance) and identifies the causes of market failure that may justify intervention by the state (state governance). It considers the role, scope and capacity of government in terms of the protection and promotion of welfare of society in the face of market instabilities, market inefficiencies, and market inequalities and injustices.

PAD5222 Social Policy (3 credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

This course introduces students to the concepts, history, and development of social policy, the funding authority and patterns of service delivery, and how political and social ideologies influence policy development. It shows that policy is a function of social, political, and economic context and transitions. An analytic framework is utilized to identify trends and assess gaps in policies and programs, especially as they impact on women, child support enforcement, nutrition programs, and medical care.

Program Major Required course

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PAD5114	Essentials of Public Administration and Management	3

PAD5114 Essentials of Public Administration and Management (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: Academic Reading and Writing in Public Administration

This is an introductory course for all MPA students. The main goal of this course is to present students with a basic and yet comprehensive understanding of the field of public administration. Students will be acquainted with various terms, definitions, theories, concepts and models used in the field. It also covers aspects of public management, such as strategic management, performance management, and organizational behavior. At the end of the course, students should have a clear understanding about the processes and mechanisms of public decision-making and implementation.

Program Major Elective courses

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PAD5200	Decision-making	3
PAD5122	Administrative and Management Ethics	3
PAD5219	Public Sector Reform	3
PAD5255	Current Issues in Public Administration	3
PAD5214	Fiscal Governance	3
PAD5218	Project Evaluation and Management in Public Sector	3
PAD5213	Local Government	3
PAD5256	Seminar in Public Administration	3
PAD5262	Organizational Behavior for Public Organizations	3
PAD5266	Organization Theory and Practice	3
PAD5113	Research Methods and Statistics	3
PAD5260	Selected Issues in Public Administration and Management	3
PAD5268	CSR and Public Policy	3

PAD5131  Research Methods/Thesis I (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

This is an introductory course in social science research methodology and the first step in writing a Master’s Thesis. It is designed to introduce you to basic concepts and problems encountered in social scientific investigation, including types of data and measurement, sampling, probability, and research design. Structuring research is about the planning of scientific inquiry, designing a strategy for finding out something. Ultimately, scientific inquiry comes down to making observations and interpreting what you have observed. However, before you can observe and analyze you need a plan. You need to determine what you are going to observe and analyze – why and how. That’s what research design is all about. This course will also emphasize the importance and limitations of theory and methodology in social science research as well as the purposes of applied research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and research ethics. By the end of the first semester you will design an original research project that will hopefully turn into your Master’s thesis.

PAD5122 Administrative and Management Ethics (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

The course provides students with a basic understanding of ethics in government. Topics that will be covered include the ethical dimension of public service, contemporary insights and current ideas on management practice in ethics, practical tools and organizational initiatives to aid administrators, and achieving ethical quality of decision-making. Towards the end of the course students are expected to understand what are administrative ethics, ethical dilemmas, managerial ethics, notions of social responsibility, sources of ethical values in organization, key concepts and strategies that individuals and organizations use to deal with ethical dilemmas, and principal categories of enforcement mechanisms.

PAD5219 Public Sector Reform (3 credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

The focus of this course is on the changing role of the public sector in the context of globalization and marketization trends in the contemporary political-economic environment. Students will explore issues related to allocative, distributive and stabilizing role of the state in the market economy. Among issues to be discussed will be questions of scale and scope of the public sector, public and private sector competition and partnership, the role of quasi-autonomous organizations, and tension between majoritarian and non-majoritarian institutions.

PAD5214 Fiscal Governance (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

The focus of this course is the study of the budget cycle, legislative control of the budget and the politics of the budgetary process; market failure and the role of government; fiscal and monetary policies; types of public budget formats; program design, planning, and evaluation; cash management, risk management, and pension funds.

PAD5218 Project Evaluation and Management in Public Sector (3 credit)

Prerequisites: PAD5114

This course is designed to help students enhance their skills in project evaluation and management. This course emphasizes the practice and process of project evaluation. In the course, we will not only develop an understanding of why projects fail, but also how they can succeed. The course provides practical tools, techniques and best practices adapted to the local environment. Students will be accompanied and supervised throughout all stages of the evaluation process. No previous experience with evaluation research and empirical or qualitative data analysis is required.

PAD5213 Local Government (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the political, institutional, and legal framework of local governments’ activities. The focus will be on decentralization in Kazakhstan, with regard to particular problems and constraints that local governments encounter. Students will learn how core public services are provided and managed. Other areas that will be emphasized are fiscal decentralization, and notions of accountability and responsiveness.

PAD5260 Selected Issues in Public Administration and Management (3 credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

This course examines particular issues of public administration and management. Topics vary according to the interests of students and instructor.

PAD5113 Research Methods and Statistics (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None

The purpose of this course is to introduce students and practitioners to some of the basic research methods and statistical concepts and issues in public administration as they relate to problems that typically exist within public agencies. All statistical techniques used by public administration professionals are covered by integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research. Emphasis will be on the use of commonly available statistical software programs such as Excel and SPSS. The course’s overall aim is to develop effective, efficient research skills among future public administrators so that they will be better policy makers and good administrators.

CSR and Public policy (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

This course critically examines a host of issues related to key public policies and policy instruments which are used for promoting CSR locally and globally, relationship between government and business, public policy and business social responsibility. Students will critically evaluate the ways in which national and multinational corporations affect large-scale changes in societies via their practices. This course will also focus on the origins of CSR, its meaning and motivations, the relationships between business and its internal and external stakeholders as they impact public policy.

Internship (4 credits)

PAD5230.4 PAD5229.4

Internship in Public Administration and Management* or Applied Research Project in Public Administration and Management

4

PAD5230 Internship in Public Administration and Management (4 Credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5114

Internship is designed to provide the student with an experiential learning opportunity by placing the individual in the office of a public official or a nonprofit organization on a part-time, volunteer basis. Students are expected to examine and analyze the functions, processes and outputs of organizations in the public or private sector.

PAD5230.1 Applied Research Project in Public Administration and Management (4 credit)

Prerequisite: PAD5131

The project involves the development and implementation of a solution for a theoretical or design problem. Methodological knowledge and skills play a vital role both in developing and conducting applied research project. Although Master’s projects generally address a practical research/design problem and its background, they can also focus specifically on an academic research question.

Thesis requirements (10 credits)

PAD5131	Research Methods/Thesis I	3 credits
PAD5231.1	Thesis II (For details, please see the CSS Guidelines for Master’s Thesis.)	3 credits
PAD5231.4	Thesis III (Including Thesis Defense)	4 credits

PAD5231.1 Thesis II: Thesis Proposal (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: PAD 5131

Under the guidance of a PA faculty member, all students are expected to submit a proposal before the end of the second semester. A proposal should make a genuine contribution to the understanding and analysis of public policy issues, management, and administration in Kazakhstan. All students shall have a “Thesis Proposal Defense” before three members of a Master’s Thesis Committee constituted by the Graduate Program Director. The Thesis Committee consists of a thesis supervisor and two full-time faculty members. One member of the Committee may be a full-time faculty member from another department, when the discipline represented is relevant to the student’s thesis. Once the proposal has been approved, permission to enroll in Thesis Option III Form may then be issued by the Graduate Director.

PAD5231.2 Thesis III (Including Thesis Defense) (7 Credits)

Prerequisite: PAD5231.1

Before a student may enroll for Thesis Option III a successful thesis proposal defense must be held, during which the thesis proposal is discussed by the student and all committee members. The final revised draft of the completed thesis should be submitted to the Thesis Committee Chair (thesis supervisor) at least four weeks prior to graduation. Students are expected to carefully consider the comments of their Thesis Committee. The Committee Chair (the supervisor) has final responsibility for thesis approval. The supervisor, in consultation with the student, shall set a date for the oral defense of the thesis before the Master’s Thesis Committee.

Program graduates are highly qualified and skilled professionals who effectively apply their skills and knowledge in public and municipal organizations and in business structures. They possess all the instruments of industrial management, strategic planning and ongoing operations planning, project implementation efficiency analysis, project work, and organizational structure development.