MNU
Master's
PhD
rus
kaz
eng
The PhD programmes at MNU offer comprehensive academic, methodological, and research training, with a focus on advanced study in specialised scientific disciplines. They are designed to prepare highly qualified professionals for careers in higher and postgraduate education systems, as well as in research.
The programmes include international internships, training sessions, and consultations with renowned foreign scholars and professors.
The programmes include international internships, training sessions, and consultations with renowned foreign scholars and professors.
Why Us
MNU offers opportunities to gain international academic experience through partnerships with over 95 universities in 30 countries.
Academic Mobility and Erasmus+
MNU Master’s programmes provide professional training for globally recognised certifications such as CFA, GARP, ACCA, CIMA, IHRCI, and ICAEW.
International Professional Certifications
It is beneficial for individuals seeking to deepen their expertise and enhance their professional qualifications within their area of practice, as well as for those pursuing a career in research or academia.
Postgraduate Programmes at MNU
Evening Classes
Provide the opportunity to pursue both work and study simultaneously
International Accreditations
MNU is the first university in Central Asia to receive accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA, UK).
The university is also accredited by FIBAA, ACCA, CFA Institute, CIMA, IQAA, IHRCI, DAAD, GARP, ICAEW Chartered Accountants, and Association of MBAs.
Among the institutions evaluated by QAA are the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, and other leading universities worldwide.
The university is also accredited by FIBAA, ACCA, CFA Institute, CIMA, IQAA, IHRCI, DAAD, GARP, ICAEW Chartered Accountants, and Association of MBAs.
Among the institutions evaluated by QAA are the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, and other leading universities worldwide.
PhD PROGRAMMES
The programme aims to prepare highly qualified academic staff in the field of national law, equipped to carry out independent research and contribute significantly to the advancement of science within the Republic.
Language of instruction: Russian
The PhD program in Economics is aimed at developing in-depth theoretical knowledge and practical research skills to shape future professional researchers with an emphasis on empirical research in economics for both academic and research careers.
Graduates of the program will be able to work in academia, international and local research institutions, and government agencies.
Graduates of the program will be able to work in academia, international and local research institutions, and government agencies.
Language of instruction: English
Scientific internship
Doctoral students, as part of their research activities, are required to complete a scientific internship at foreign educational and research institutions once during the entire period of study, for a minimum of 30 calendar days. The purpose of the internship is to strengthen the scientific foundation of the PhD dissertation, receive guidance from international experts, and access resources in leading academic libraries worldwide.
The internship must take place at leading foreign research organisations or higher education institutions that rank within the top 1,000 globally, or within the top 200 by subject area in international rankings.
Internship programmes are carried out under agreements between the University and its foreign partner universities, as well as memoranda with foreign academic advisors. The School is responsible for the administrative support of the internship, including travel orders and financial documentation.
Internship programmes are carried out under agreements between the University and its foreign partner universities, as well as memoranda with foreign academic advisors. The School is responsible for the administrative support of the internship, including travel orders and financial documentation.
The host institution for the internship must align with the scientific focus of the educational programme, the topic of the PhD dissertation, and the affiliation of the foreign academic advisor.
The Science Committee of the MNU Law School reviews doctoral student applications for international internships and sets mandatory criteria to ensure successful completion.
Applications for doctoral studies at higher and postgraduate educational institutions are submitted to the admissions committees of those institutions or through the NTC online information system
Winter Admission
from October 28 to November 10
from October 28 to November 10
Summer Admission
from July 3 to August 3
from July 3 to August 3
When applying, candidates may select only one educational institution and one group of educational programmes (GEP).
*The entrance exam certificate issued during the period from November 18 to December 11 is valid until March 1 of the following calendar year.
*The documents listed in points 4), 5), and 8) must be submitted in both original and copy. Originals will be returned to the applicant after verification.
*If the list of documents specified in this paragraph is incomplete, the admissions committee will not accept the applicant’s documents.
*The entrance exam certificate issued during the period from August 4 to August 20 is valid until December 1 of the current calendar year;
*Persons who have the certificate of Test of English as a Foreign Language Institutional Testing Programm (TOEFL ITP) take additional English proficiency testing before the start of the doctoral entrance exam.
The electronic entrance exam certificate is verified via the NTC website.
The additional test consists of 100 questions.
Applicants for doctoral studies should submit the following set of documents:
- Free-form application
- Academic credentials (original, to be submitted to the admissions committee)
- Identification document (required for identity verification)
- Official certificate of passing the state language exam (KAZTEST), issued by the NTC (not required for foreign citizens)
- Certificate confirming proficiency in a foreign language
- Medical certificate (Form 075/y)
- Six photographs (3x4 cm)
- Document confirming employment, in accordance with the Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (not required for foreign citizens)
- List of scientific publications from the past 3 calendar years (if available), research plan, and essay
- Receipt of payment of the Admission fee
- The interview evaluates the applicant's professional and personal competencies and their potential for conducting independent research.
- It is conducted remotely via videoconferencing, and the recording is archived for at least three years.
- The interview is formally documented and signed by the chairperson, members, and secretary of the examination board.
- If the applicant fails to attend, they receive 0 points, and a corresponding protocol is prepared and signed.
The passing score is 75 points.
The entrance exam consists of the following blocks:
The entrance exam takes 3 hours and 30 minutes (210 minutes):
- Interview with the applicant conducted by the institution’s examination board – 30 points
- Essay submission – 20 points
- Exam questions related to the profile of the selected GEP – 50 points
Summer Admission
from 4 to 20 August
from 4 to 20 August
Winter Admission
from November 19 to December 11
from November 19 to December 11
Summer Admission
from 15 to 28 August of the calendar year
from 15 to 28 August of the calendar year
Winter Admission
from December 26 to January 10 of the calendar year
from December 26 to January 10 of the calendar year
Step 1. Take the Entrance Exams
Step 2. Get a passing score
ESSAY TOPICS
QUESTIONS
English:
German:
French:
the passing score is
at least 5.0
at least 5.0
Minimum B1 level
the passing score is
at least 550
at least 550
Minimum B1 level
Minimum B1 level
не ниже уровня B1
Minimum B1 level
Diplome d’Etudes en Langue français
Diplome d’Etudes en Langue français
(Диплом дэтюд ан Ланг франсэз) (DELF) (ДЭЛФ)
(Диплом дэтюд ан Ланг франсэз) (DELF) (ДЭЛФ)
D070 Economics (3 years)
20 minutes
Interview
190 minutes
(3 hours 10 minutes)
(3 hours 10 minutes)
Essay and GEP Profile Exam Questions
D078 Law (3 years)
D070 Экономика (3 года)
for the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The admission
process
process
Certificate of Foreign Language Proficiency:
Зачисление в докторантуру проводится в следующие сроки:
Entrance exams for groups of educational programs for doctoral studies are held within the following terms:
Step 3. Submit the documents to the admissions committee
IELTS Academic
International English Language Tests System Academic (IELTS Academic)
International English Language Tests System Academic (IELTS Academic)
TOEFL IBT
Test of English as a Foreign Language Institutional Testing Programm Internet-based Test (TOEFL IBT)
Test of English as a Foreign Language Institutional Testing Programm Internet-based Test (TOEFL IBT)
the passing score is
at least 35
at least 35
TOEFL ITP
Test of English as a Foreign Language Institutional Testing Programm (TOEFL ITP)
Test of English as a Foreign Language Institutional Testing Programm (TOEFL ITP)
the passing score is
at least 417
at least 417
the passing score is
at least 80
at least 80
Deutsche Sprachpruеfung fuеr den Hochschulzugang Niveau В1
TestDaF-Prufung Niveau В1
Test de Français International
Minimum B1 level in Reading and Listening
Test de connaissance du français
Minimum B1 level
Admission to the doctoral program is held within the following terms:
D070 Economics (3 years)
D078 Law (3 years)
TOEIC
Test of English for International Communication
Test of English for International Communication
Duolingo English Test
Diplome Approfondi de Langue français
Application for PhD in Economics
Entry questions to apply for PhD in Economics
Level 1
Question 1
1. Weekly wages are known to be normally distributed with a standard deviation of £5.10. An economist claims that the mean weekly income in this industry is £70.40. A random sample of 35 workers yields a mean income of £75.20.
a) What null and alternative hypothesis would you specify?
b) Generate a 95% confidence interval for the sample mean.
c) Use a classical hypothesis test at the 5% level of significance to test the null hypothesis.
Question 2
You are a member of a team of scientific advisors considering whether genetic modification of crops has any health consequences for the population. You set up the issue as one of hypothesis testing:
a) What would be your null and alternative hypothesis
b) Explain what Type I and Type II errors are in this context
c) Outline the costs involved in making Type I and Type II errors
Question 3
The variable smokes is a binary variable equal to one if a person smokes, and zero
otherwise. Using the data on 807 individuals on 10 variables:
- educ: years of schooling
- cigpric: state cig. price, cents/pack
- white: =1 if white
- age: in years
- income: annual income, $
- cigs: cigs. smoked per day
- restaurn: =1 if the person lives in a state with restaurant smoking restrictions, the following equation is estimated:
Both the usual and heteroskedasticity robust standard errors are reported.
a) Are there any important differences between the two sets of standard errors?
b) Holding other factors fixed, if education increases by four years, what happens to the estimated probability of smoking?
c) At what point does another year of age reduce the probability of smoking?
d) Interpret the coefficient on the binary variable restaurn.
Question 4
Consider an equation to explain salaries of CEOs in terms of annual firm sales, return on equity (roe, in percent form), and return on the firm’s stock (roe, in percent form):
a) By what percent is salary predicted to increase, if ros increases by 50 points? Does ros have a practically large effect on salary?
b) Test the null hypothesis that ros has no effect on salary, against the alternative that ros has a positive effect. Carry out the test at the 10% significance level.
c) Would you include ros in a final model explaining CEO compensation in terms of firm performance? Explain.
Question 5
Which of the following can cause the usual OLS t statistics to be invalid (that is, not to have t distributions under H0)?
a) Heteroskedasticity.
b) A sample correlation coefficient of 0.95 between two independent variables that are in the model.
c) Omitting an important explanatory variable.
LEVEL 2
Question 1
List and explain Gauss-Markov assumptions.
Question 2
Explain what is heteroskedasticity and how the problem of heteroskedasticity might be resolved.
Question 3
Which measures of goodness of fit for the regression models do you know? Discuss their appropriateness for specific models.
Question 4
What is the model misspecification and how could it be resolved?
Question 5
What is consistency of OLS model?
Question 6
In macroeconomics, the business cycle refers to …
A) Fluctuations in the general price level.
B) Fluctuations in the level of output.
C) Fluctuations in inflationary expectations.
D) Fluctuations in government expenditures.
Question 7
If the central bank of a country decides to reduce the short-term interest rates, this likely means that…
A) The economy is booming, and the central bank is trying to cool it down.
B) The central bank is worried about the value of the domestic currency and wants to boost it.
C) The central bank is worried about an imminent recession and wants to boost output.
D) The central bank is worried about inflation and wants to stop it.
Question 8
The exchange rate between the domestic and a foreign currency is determined by…
A) The relative tax rates of the countries involved.
B) The monetary strength of the countries involved.
C) The law of supply and demand.
D) The political regime of the countries involved.
Question 9
Which of the following is not different between the Solow and Malthus models?
A) Population growth is exogenous.
B) The production function has decreasing marginal returns.
C) There is capital accumulation.
D) Households save.
Question 10
The marginal product of a factor of production
A) is equal to the ratio of the amount of that factor of production to the amount of output produced.
B) is equal to the amount of additional output that can be produced with one additional unit of each factor input.
C) is equal to the amount of additional output that can be produced with one additional unit of that factor input, holding constant the quantities of the other factor inputs.
D) always exceeds the average product of that factor input, holding constant the quantities of the other factor inputs.
Question 11
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a perfectly competitive industry?
A) The industry consists of many small firms producing similar products.
B) There is no government intervention in the industry.
C) Producers set the price of the products freely.
D) Economic profit is driven to almost zero due to competition.
Question 12
Two points on the same indifference curve represent the same…
A) Price level
B) Income level
C) Capital level
D) Utility level
Question 13
Elasticity in economics is:
A) A term that is used to describe the degree of flexibility in wages.
B) A measure of responsiveness.
C) A relative difference in price and marginal cost.
D) An index used to measure market competitiveness.
Question 14
For a rational consumer who has to choose between two goods in the context of budget constraints, the price change of one of the goods, caeteris paribus, will determine:
A) A parallel shift of the budget line to the left.
B) A change in the slope of the budget line.
C) No change in the budget line.
D) A parallel shift of budget line to the right.
Question 15
Which of the following statements are false?
A) Information, the entrepreneur's ability, technical progress are neo-factors of production.
B) According to the stages of the circular flow of the company's capital, it takes three forms: money, capital goods and commodity.
C) Fixed capital depreciation is only due to physical deterioration.
D) The factors of production are resources attracted and used in economic activity.
LEVEL 3
Question 1
Explain the concept of “moral hazard” in Economics.
Question 2
What is self-selection and how might it be addressed in economic research?
Question 3
Explain the role of human capital, knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation in economic growth and development?
Question 4
Why do economists use mathematic models?
Question 5
Explain the difference between correlation and causation in your own words.
Entry questions to apply for PhD in Economics
Level 1
Question 1
1. Weekly wages are known to be normally distributed with a standard deviation of £5.10. An economist claims that the mean weekly income in this industry is £70.40. A random sample of 35 workers yields a mean income of £75.20.
a) What null and alternative hypothesis would you specify?
b) Generate a 95% confidence interval for the sample mean.
c) Use a classical hypothesis test at the 5% level of significance to test the null hypothesis.
Question 2
You are a member of a team of scientific advisors considering whether genetic modification of crops has any health consequences for the population. You set up the issue as one of hypothesis testing:
a) What would be your null and alternative hypothesis
b) Explain what Type I and Type II errors are in this context
c) Outline the costs involved in making Type I and Type II errors
Question 3
The variable smokes is a binary variable equal to one if a person smokes, and zero
otherwise. Using the data on 807 individuals on 10 variables:
- educ: years of schooling
- cigpric: state cig. price, cents/pack
- white: =1 if white
- age: in years
- income: annual income, $
- cigs: cigs. smoked per day
- restaurn: =1 if the person lives in a state with restaurant smoking restrictions, the following equation is estimated:
Both the usual and heteroskedasticity robust standard errors are reported.
a) Are there any important differences between the two sets of standard errors?
b) Holding other factors fixed, if education increases by four years, what happens to the estimated probability of smoking?
c) At what point does another year of age reduce the probability of smoking?
d) Interpret the coefficient on the binary variable restaurn.
Question 4
Consider an equation to explain salaries of CEOs in terms of annual firm sales, return on equity (roe, in percent form), and return on the firm’s stock (roe, in percent form):
a) By what percent is salary predicted to increase, if ros increases by 50 points? Does ros have a practically large effect on salary?
b) Test the null hypothesis that ros has no effect on salary, against the alternative that ros has a positive effect. Carry out the test at the 10% significance level.
c) Would you include ros in a final model explaining CEO compensation in terms of firm performance? Explain.
Question 5
Which of the following can cause the usual OLS t statistics to be invalid (that is, not to have t distributions under H0)?
a) Heteroskedasticity.
b) A sample correlation coefficient of 0.95 between two independent variables that are in the model.
c) Omitting an important explanatory variable.
LEVEL 2
Question 1
List and explain Gauss-Markov assumptions.
Question 2
Explain what is heteroskedasticity and how the problem of heteroskedasticity might be resolved.
Question 3
Which measures of goodness of fit for the regression models do you know? Discuss their appropriateness for specific models.
Question 4
What is the model misspecification and how could it be resolved?
Question 5
What is consistency of OLS model?
Question 6
In macroeconomics, the business cycle refers to …
A) Fluctuations in the general price level.
B) Fluctuations in the level of output.
C) Fluctuations in inflationary expectations.
D) Fluctuations in government expenditures.
Question 7
If the central bank of a country decides to reduce the short-term interest rates, this likely means that…
A) The economy is booming, and the central bank is trying to cool it down.
B) The central bank is worried about the value of the domestic currency and wants to boost it.
C) The central bank is worried about an imminent recession and wants to boost output.
D) The central bank is worried about inflation and wants to stop it.
Question 8
The exchange rate between the domestic and a foreign currency is determined by…
A) The relative tax rates of the countries involved.
B) The monetary strength of the countries involved.
C) The law of supply and demand.
D) The political regime of the countries involved.
Question 9
Which of the following is not different between the Solow and Malthus models?
A) Population growth is exogenous.
B) The production function has decreasing marginal returns.
C) There is capital accumulation.
D) Households save.
Question 10
The marginal product of a factor of production
A) is equal to the ratio of the amount of that factor of production to the amount of output produced.
B) is equal to the amount of additional output that can be produced with one additional unit of each factor input.
C) is equal to the amount of additional output that can be produced with one additional unit of that factor input, holding constant the quantities of the other factor inputs.
D) always exceeds the average product of that factor input, holding constant the quantities of the other factor inputs.
Question 11
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a perfectly competitive industry?
A) The industry consists of many small firms producing similar products.
B) There is no government intervention in the industry.
C) Producers set the price of the products freely.
D) Economic profit is driven to almost zero due to competition.
Question 12
Two points on the same indifference curve represent the same…
A) Price level
B) Income level
C) Capital level
D) Utility level
Question 13
Elasticity in economics is:
A) A term that is used to describe the degree of flexibility in wages.
B) A measure of responsiveness.
C) A relative difference in price and marginal cost.
D) An index used to measure market competitiveness.
Question 14
For a rational consumer who has to choose between two goods in the context of budget constraints, the price change of one of the goods, caeteris paribus, will determine:
A) A parallel shift of the budget line to the left.
B) A change in the slope of the budget line.
C) No change in the budget line.
D) A parallel shift of budget line to the right.
Question 15
Which of the following statements are false?
A) Information, the entrepreneur's ability, technical progress are neo-factors of production.
B) According to the stages of the circular flow of the company's capital, it takes three forms: money, capital goods and commodity.
C) Fixed capital depreciation is only due to physical deterioration.
D) The factors of production are resources attracted and used in economic activity.
LEVEL 3
Question 1
Explain the concept of “moral hazard” in Economics.
Question 2
What is self-selection and how might it be addressed in economic research?
Question 3
Explain the role of human capital, knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation in economic growth and development?
Question 4
Why do economists use mathematic models?
Question 5
Explain the difference between correlation and causation in your own words.
*Individuals holding a Test of English as a Foreign Language Institutional Testing Program (TOEFL ITP) certificate must take an additional English language assessment before the start of the doctoral admission examination.
The admission
process
process
for international applicants
The interview is conducted online and is held in the language of the selected academic programme.
After successfully completing the interview, the candidate may prepare and submit the required document package to the Admissions Committee.
The application package must include:
- Passport
- Original higher education diploma
- Apostille or legalisation of the education document (depending on the issuing country, provided by the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Justice)
- Certificate of no criminal record
- Document confirming employment history
- Interview report
- Six photographs, 3×4 cm
- Admissions Committee report
- Motivation letter
- Certificate confirming proficiency in a foreign language:
- IELTS Academic – minimum 5.0
- TOEFL iBT – minimum 35
- TOEFL ITP – minimum 417
- TOEIC – minimum 550
- Duolingo English Test – minimum 80
- DSH, Level B1 – at least B1
- TDF, Level B1 – at least B1
- TFI – at least B1 in reading and listening
- DELF – at least B1
- DALF – at least B1
- TCF – at least B1
- List of scientific publications for the last three calendar years (if available), research plan, and essay
- Notarised translation of passport into Kazakh or Russian (3 copies)
- Notarised translation of educational documents into Kazakh or Russian (2 copies)
- Medical insurance (We recommend obtaining health insurance from Interteach)
- Medical certificate in Form 075/у (original)
- Fluorography results (original)
- Recognition of educational documents (attestation)
- Receipt confirming payment of the one-time fee
International applicants are admitted on the basis of an interview.
