School of Mining and Geosciences
School of Mining and Geosciences
School of Mining and Geosciences
Geologists are scientists who study the earth processes, explore the earth for metals, oil, gas and water, and develop methods to extract earth’s resources. Geologists work on the extraction of minerals, environmental protection, and the rehabilitation of land after mining engineering projects. The MSc program is designed as an advanced level follow-up to the BSc program in Geology at SMG at Nazarbayev University to further educate and train students at an advanced level to perform the various roles exercised by geoscientists working in mineral and petroleum industries, environmental agencies, regulatory organizations and/or universities.
In the first year of the study, courses include Applied Geostatistics, Advanced Geophysics, Advanced Geochemistry, Advanced Sedimentology, and Advanced Economic Geology in the fall semester, and Advanced Petrology, Exploration Geoscience, Advanced Structural Geology and Microtectonics, Research Methods and Ethics, and Advanced Field Geology in the spring semester, all of these counting to 6 ECTS credits. In the Summer the students are encouraged to start thesis-related geological field work and sample collection.
The second-year fall courses include Advanced Tectonics and Geodynamics, Advanced Petroleum Geology, and an Elective course, each counting 6 ETCS credits and students will work on their MSc thesis counting to an equivalent of 12 ETCS credits. The spring semester will be devoted entirely to MSc thesis work counting to an equivalent of 30 ETCS credits.
Attention to international students::
In the first year of the study, courses include Applied Geostatistics, Advanced Geophysics, Advanced Geochemistry, Advanced Sedimentology, and Advanced Economic Geology in the fall semester, and Advanced Petrology, Exploration Geoscience, Advanced Structural Geology and Microtectonics, Research Methods and Ethics, and Advanced Field Geology in the spring semester, all of these counting to 6 ECTS credits. In the Summer the students are encouraged to start thesis-related geological field work and sample collection.
The second-year fall courses include Advanced Tectonics and Geodynamics, Advanced Petroleum Geology, and an Elective course, each counting 6 ETCS credits and students will work on their MSc thesis counting to an equivalent of 12 ETCS credits. The spring semester will be devoted entirely to MSc thesis work counting to an equivalent of 30 ETCS credits.
Attention to international students::
- Please note that the application process for the MSc Geosciences program for the 2024-2025 academic year has closed. We regret any inconvenience this may cause to those who were hoping to apply.
- Looking ahead, we eagerly invite international students to consider applying for the 2025-2026 academic year. Details regarding the opening of the registration period will be announced on the SMG web page.
Electives
- Advanced GIS
- Advanced Hydrogeology
- Engineering Geology and Geotechnics
- Geology of Central Asia and Metallogenesis
- Applied Geostatistics
- Advanced Formation Evaluation
STEP 1. Create your personal account
Go to admissions.nu.edu.kz portal, press the «Sign up» button and fill out the required information in English. Please select the «Master's degree/Residency» program during choosing the Academic level.
After completing the registration, confirm it by clicking on the link sent to your email.
Be sure to read the instructions about the application procedure given in your Personal account.
STEP 2. Fill out the application form
In the «My Application Forms» section of your Personal Account, open the link Step 1. Fill out the Application Form online and Consent form for personal data processing according to the online form. Make sure you have entered all the required information in the correct manner and press the «Upload» button.
STEP 3. Submit the required documents
After filling out the application form, in the Step 2 section, you need to upload the required documents.
The format of requested documents is available in a Personal account.
Upload a 3*4 photo for documents to the «Profile» section in your Personal account.
Step 4. Pay the application fee
The application fee shall be paid online in your Personal account at the «My Application Forms» section with a bank card.
The application fee is 10 000 tenge and it is increased 3 times from the established amount when paid within the last two weeks before the first officially approved deadline and/or during the extension period for accepting applications for participation in the admission process (except for the Graduate School of Business). This amount is non-refundable.
The payment of the application fee by transferring money through the bank is not acceptable. Applicants can apply for no more than 2 Master's / Ph.D. programs at Nazarbayev University. In this regard, please do not make the payment more than 2 times. In case of admission to both programs, the applicant must choose only one.
If you have no personal card you may use the card of another person.
Step 5. Finish the application process
After completing all above-mentioned steps please press the «PAY AND SUBMIT APPLICATION». Now the application is considered completed.
After submission applicants cannot make any changes in their applications and submitted documents.
Admissions Department will check your application and contact you by email specifying which documents and when are to be resubmitted, in case of need. Incomplete or incorrect (uncorrected) applications will not be considered in the competition.
Step 6. Submit IELTS/ TOEFL certificate
In order to provide IELTS/TOEFL certificates, applicants should fulfill the following requirements:
The results of IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition and TOEFL PDT are not considered in the competition.
All certificates provided must be valid at the time of submission of documents.
Please note that submission of IELTS/TOEFL certificates in the electronic database of Nazarbayev University is not within the competence of the University. You should independently contact the Test center and make sure that your certificate has been sent. Please note that this action takes at least 7-10 working days. If the certificate is received after the deadline, specified by the Admissions Department, results will not be considered in the competition.
Applicants, at the discretion of the Admissions Committee, can be exempted from submitting the language proficiency test report in one of the following documented cases:
Further steps
An automatic email notification will be sent to your referrers asking them to provide them with letters of recommendation in accordance with the electronic form sent to their email addresses.
Check your email for notifications from Nazarbayev University and your Personal Account to find out about the status of your application. Please keep in mind that sometimes letters from the University may go to the spam box.
In case of an invitation to an interview, go through an interview with the Admissions Committee. Interviews are conducted in English.
Go to admissions.nu.edu.kz portal, press the «Sign up» button and fill out the required information in English. Please select the «Master's degree/Residency» program during choosing the Academic level.
After completing the registration, confirm it by clicking on the link sent to your email.
Be sure to read the instructions about the application procedure given in your Personal account.
STEP 2. Fill out the application form
In the «My Application Forms» section of your Personal Account, open the link Step 1. Fill out the Application Form online and Consent form for personal data processing according to the online form. Make sure you have entered all the required information in the correct manner and press the «Upload» button.
STEP 3. Submit the required documents
After filling out the application form, in the Step 2 section, you need to upload the required documents.
The format of requested documents is available in a Personal account.
Upload a 3*4 photo for documents to the «Profile» section in your Personal account.
Step 4. Pay the application fee
The application fee shall be paid online in your Personal account at the «My Application Forms» section with a bank card.
The application fee is 10 000 tenge and it is increased 3 times from the established amount when paid within the last two weeks before the first officially approved deadline and/or during the extension period for accepting applications for participation in the admission process (except for the Graduate School of Business). This amount is non-refundable.
The payment of the application fee by transferring money through the bank is not acceptable. Applicants can apply for no more than 2 Master's / Ph.D. programs at Nazarbayev University. In this regard, please do not make the payment more than 2 times. In case of admission to both programs, the applicant must choose only one.
If you have no personal card you may use the card of another person.
Step 5. Finish the application process
After completing all above-mentioned steps please press the «PAY AND SUBMIT APPLICATION». Now the application is considered completed.
After submission applicants cannot make any changes in their applications and submitted documents.
Admissions Department will check your application and contact you by email specifying which documents and when are to be resubmitted, in case of need. Incomplete or incorrect (uncorrected) applications will not be considered in the competition.
Step 6. Submit IELTS/ TOEFL certificate
In order to provide IELTS/TOEFL certificates, applicants should fulfill the following requirements:
- To send an official electronic report of valid IELTS/TOEFL certificate via the Test administrator directly to Nazarbayev University;
- To upload its scanned copy and insert its data to the «Upload IELTS/TOEFL results» section of a Personal account. Applicants can submit any number of certificates for the competition, but the last certificate uploaded to their Personal account will be considered.
- Code for IELTS: Nazarbayev University
- Code for TOEFL iBT: 6762
- Code for GRE: 6496
- Code for GMAT: H6m-R7-93
The results of IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition and TOEFL PDT are not considered in the competition.
All certificates provided must be valid at the time of submission of documents.
Please note that submission of IELTS/TOEFL certificates in the electronic database of Nazarbayev University is not within the competence of the University. You should independently contact the Test center and make sure that your certificate has been sent. Please note that this action takes at least 7-10 working days. If the certificate is received after the deadline, specified by the Admissions Department, results will not be considered in the competition.
Applicants, at the discretion of the Admissions Committee, can be exempted from submitting the language proficiency test report in one of the following documented cases:
- one of their earlier academic degrees was earned in a country with English as the language of official communication, academic instruction and daily life;
- an undergraduate and/or graduate degree was earned in a program which was officially taught in English;
- if the applicant is a graduate of Nazarbayev University.
Further steps
An automatic email notification will be sent to your referrers asking them to provide them with letters of recommendation in accordance with the electronic form sent to their email addresses.
Check your email for notifications from Nazarbayev University and your Personal Account to find out about the status of your application. Please keep in mind that sometimes letters from the University may go to the spam box.
In case of an invitation to an interview, go through an interview with the Admissions Committee. Interviews are conducted in English.
Applicants applying to the program are expected to have:
– an undergraduate and/or graduate degree was earned in a program which was officially taught in English;
– the applicant is a graduate of Nazarbayev University
- An undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent). During the application period, final year students may submit the official current transcript for consideration
- A minimum CGPA of 2.75 out of 4.00; or a minimum CGPA of 2,5 out of 4,00 for professionals with at least 2 (two) years of relevant experience;
- High level of English proficiency. The absolute minimum requirement for English language proficiency test reports for admission to the program is:
- Overall IELTS test score (except Home edition) of 6.5 (with sub-scores no less than 6.0) or the equivalent TOEFL score as posted on the ETS website;
- The absolute minimum requirement for the English language proficiency test report for conditional admission (NUZYP) is an overall IELTS test score of 5.5, with no more than one sub-score of 5.0, or the equivalent TOEFL scores (except Home edition) as posted on the ETS website;
- Applicants, at the discretion of the Admissions Committee, can be exempted from submitting the language proficiency test report if:
– an undergraduate and/or graduate degree was earned in a program which was officially taught in English;
– the applicant is a graduate of Nazarbayev University
- Strong reading, analytical, and mathematical skills as demonstrated by GRE test (optional). Although an official GRE score is not an essential requirement, an applicant can enhance her/his application with a competitive GRE score;
- High motivation and a strong interest in the program as outlined in a statement of purpose.
- Complete Application form
- National ID (for the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan) and passport (for international applicants);
- Official document confirming name change (if applicable);
- Bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree diploma with transcript; During the application period final year students may upload official current transcript for consideration;
- An official electronic IELTS/TOEFL certificate (valid at the time of document submission) sent to the University through IELTS/TOEFL VERIFICATION SERVICES. Code for IELTS: Nazarbayev University. Code for TOEFL: 6762;
- Document confirming English as the language of instruction (only for applicants who earned their degree in a program which was taught in English and request an exemption from submitting IELTS or TOEFL). Applicants should provide a detailed certificate/reference from the university indicating the number and list of subjects completed in English;
- Curriculum vitae (up to 2 pages);
- GRE certificate valid as of the date of online documents submission (if applicable);
- Statement of purpose (up to 1 page);
- Two confidential letters of recommendation written within the last 12 months (to be provided by referees electronically or in hard copy after receiving an email request).
Important dates for those who are applying for the 2024-2025 academic year
Online application deadlines for Masters programs:
First day of classes: August, 2024
Online application deadlines for Masters programs:
- for International applicants: -
- for the citizens of Kazakhstan: April 22, 2024 – May 15, 2024 (13:00 Astana time)
- for International applicants: -
- for the citizens of Kazakhstan: May 20, 2024
First day of classes: August, 2024
Call or email us:
Admissions Manager (MSc PhD programs):
Admissions Manager (MSc PhD programs):
+7 (7172) 694695