Master of Science in Biomedicine

The Master of Science in Biomedicine at Nazarbayev University School of Medicine (NUSOM) will be a two year full time taught program (120 ECTS credits) designed to give students marketable knowledge and skills in biomedicine. The program will be suitable for clinical or basic science graduates who want to advance their knowledge and research skills in the field of biomedicine. The field of the Master of Science in Biomedicine is concerned with the understanding of disease at the molecular level, research techniques and the development of interventions to prevent and treat disease. Courses will be taught by subject specialists and will consist of lectures, problem and team based learning sessions and hands-on experimental procedures. Research will be fully integrated into the teaching. The Master of Science in Biomedicine is unique because currently there is no other Master of Science in Biomedicine program in Kazakhstan. NUSOM provides a high-quality education embedded in a research environment and prepares students to drive change in their professional career. This program represents a window of opportunity for the participating students as well as for Kazakhstan’s growth and development in biomedicine.

Program aims are:

• To transfer competence and knowledge in the rapidly advancing field of molecular medicine
• To find innovative ways of preventing, treating and diagnosing diseases
• To provide students with specialased research skills that enable them to translate laboratory discoveries into medical treatments
• To attain marketable skills in biomedicine
• To form a brand new generation of professionals capable of contributing to the technological innovation and growth of Kazakhstan

Relationship to NU Mission and Goals

The Master of Science in Biomedicine will support the University’s strategy for educational reform leadership through the formation of collaborations with other universities and research centers in Kazakhstan and abroad. NUSOM has already formed collaborations with Karaganda State Medical University with the aim of co-supervision of Master and Ph.D. research projects. With the research work realized in the Master of Science in Biomedicine we aim to include research collaborations with other institutions in Kazakhstan, thus transferring the experiences, skills, and lessons learned from our program to other national universities and research centers.

Whilst the academic curriculum of the Master of Science in Biomedicine at NUSOM is unique within Kazakhstan and informed by the expertise of our faculty, its content has similarities with other Master of Science in Biomedicine programs from distinguished institutions around the world.

We also intend to establish collaborations with research institutes worldwide, thus developing and maintaining academic and research excellence. Current NUSOM Faculty collaborations include: Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland; University of South Florida, USA; San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy and La Trobe Institute of Molecular Sciences, Melbourne, Australia.

The Master of Science in Biomedicine program proposal has been externally reviewed and approved by Professor Roberto Solari from the Imperial College, London, UK and by Professor Michael Atkinson, Director of Institute of Radiation Biology, Helmholtz Centre Munich, Germany, thus ensuring academic excellence and commendation from a world class institution. Evaluations of the proposal are attached at the end of this form.

Furthermore, by training students in Molecular Medicine and related research and diagnostic techniques we hope to create a model for health care services in Kazakhstan. Students will also receive training in entrepreneurship and industrial partnerships thus encouraging innovation and the translation of research into production.

Relationship to School Strategic Plan

The Master of Science in Biomedicine program aims are in line with the NUSOM’s mission to do cutting edge research, advance the understanding of medical science and improve human health. In the Master of Science in Biomedicine program students will learn the latest research information and will be engaged in research at the frontiers of biomedicine. It is intended that the learning and research carried out will lead to new discoveries in medical science and contribute to the development of new treatments or preventive strategies for human health conditions. Research will focus on medical problems that are relevant to the Central Asian region. We intend to deliver a high quality Master of Science in Biomedicine program in line with programs from distinguished universities around the world. Using this approach we intend to generate excellence in education and research and encourage creativity, lifelong learning and discoveries. Teaching methods will be designed to encourage critical thinking and knowledge acquisition at the forefront of molecular medicine. The research project will foster innovative thinking and develop problem solving skills. ‘State of the art’ research facilities will enable students to perform cutting edge research on important topics relevant to human health and faculty will be encouraged to undergo professional development training to further enhance research excellence. A major aspect of our program is the integration of research and teaching. Students will be required to read, review and evaluate recent scientific publications throughout the courses. In the final semester they will undertake a six month research project. Furthermore, students will be encouraged to present their findings at conferences and scientific meetings and will be involved in the publication of scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. We aim to promote best practice in biomedical research and integrate research activities with the National Laboratory Astana and the National Medical Holding. Finally, the Master of Science in Biomedicine program is in line with NUSOM’s strategic goal to develop additional health professional programs to support the creation of a model of healthcare services in Kazakhstan.

• Demonstrate, in both oral and written form, specialized knowledge of core subjects in the Master of Sciences in Biomedicine program.
• Apply intellectual critical thinking and problem solving and analytical skills to research in biomedicine.
• Perform technical scientific experiments with precision and accuracy.
• Exhibit written and oral communication skills that enable the clear dissemination of complex scientific information.
• Carry out research and scientific responsibilities in accordance with ethical and professional standards.
• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to translate laboratory findings into medical treatments.

Applicants to the Master of Science in Biomedicine program are expected to have:

The tuition fee for Master’s Degree Program is $16,000 (8 176 000 KZT) per one academic year for both local and international students.

To learn more about tuition fees, please contact us at bursars_office@nu.edu.kz.

Candidates applying to the Master of Science in Biomedicine program are expected to have:

• an undergraduate degree (bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant discipline. During the application period, final-year students may submit official current transcripts for consideration. Applicants recommended for admission must provide final transcripts and diplomas before the end of the programs’ enrollment term. Graduates of the university are enrolled based on the evidence of the final transcript, confirming the degree completion followed by diploma submission within a month;
• graduate degree (if applicable);
• Applicants may be enrolled conditionally based on evidence from their graduation from a university, that the applicants have completed the educational program and the applicant expects formal issuance of final transcript and/or diploma by a certain date. In that case, the decision about enrollment shall prescribe the period of time within which the applicant shall provide the necessary documents to the university;
• a minimum CGPA of 2.5 out of 4.0 or equivalent on the applicant’s degree (bachelor's, master or Ph.D. (if masters and Ph.D. have adopted a GPA approach);
• the required level of English language proficiency;
• strong reading, analytical and mathematical skills as demonstrated by GRE or GMAT test (optional). Although an official GRE/GMAT score is not an essential requirement, an applicant can enhance his/her application with a competitive GRE/GMAT score;
• high level of motivation and a strong interest in the program outlined in the statement of purpose;
• 2 (two) confidential letters of recommendation;

The required level of English proficiency:

1. The absolute minimum requirement for English language proficiency test reports for admission to the program is an academic IELTS – overall 6.0 (writing 6.0, reading 5.5, listening 5.5, speaking 5.5) or the equivalent TOEFL score (except the home edition) as posted on the ETS website;

2. Applicants to the program, at the discretion of the Admissions Committee, can be exempted from submitting the language proficiency test report if:

• 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 or graduate degree was earned in a program that was officially taught in English;
• the applicant is a graduate of NU.

All submitted documents shall be in English or with notarized English translation:

• Complete application form;
• National ID or passport;
• Official document confirming name changes (if applicable);
• Degree diplomas with transcripts;
• An official electronic IELTS/TOEFL certificate (except Home edition) (valid at the time of document submission) sent to the University through IELTS/TOEFL VERIFICATION SERVICES. Code for IELTS: NU. 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);
• GRE/GMAT test certificates valid as of the date of online documents submission (optional);
• Two confidential letters of recommendation written within the last 12 month (to be provided by referees electronically or in hard copy). You can find the Instruction for submission of recommendation letters here;
• Statement of purpose of 500 words or less;
• 075у medical certificate (for Kazakhstani applicants) or a similar medical certificate with indication of general health (for international applicants);
• A document stating the presence or absence of a criminal record;
• Consent of the applicant/student to the processing of personal data;
• The Admissions Committee and/or Admissions Department may request additional documents when necessary.

All registered candidates can check the status of their application in the Personal account. Description of the status below is presented in the order of assignment to the candidate in the Personal account.

Application in processing. This is interim status, which means that the application is being processed. Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and inform the candidate on further steps/stages. Notification on final results will be sent to your email address.

Does not meet entry requirements. The status is assigned to the candidates who do not meet the minimum entry requirements. It is given after checking the application forms and the documents by the Admissions Department.

Disqualified. The status is assigned to candidates who are disqualified for gross violations of the conditions of the competition. For example, provided deliberately false information.

Rejected by Admissions Committee. At one of the competition stages, the Admissions Committee decided to reject the candidate’s application.

Transfer to another program. At the stage of an application screening the Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for consideration by the Admissions Committee of another program within the same School.

Pending. Candidate’s application is pending.

Waiting list. The Admissions Committee has finished reviewing the candidate’s application and made a decision to put you on a waiting list. Such candidates should expect notification from the University, as there is a possibility that if other candidates reject to study, they may be sent an invitation letter to study.

Recommended for admission to program. Admissions Committee has decided to recommend candidate for the program without going through the Zero Year of Graduate programs.

Recommended for conditional admission. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend a candidate for the conditional admission with a requirement to fulfill the condition by the deadline specified in the notification.

Withdrawn. Candidate decided to withdraw from the competition.

Accepted Program admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Refused admission offer. The candidate was recommended for admission, but refused to study.

Refused in favor of another NU program. The status is applicable for those candidates, who applied for several graduate programs at NU. The status is assigned when the candidate chooses another program.

Deferred. The status is assigned to candidates who were accepted for the program, but decided to postpone their studies until the next year.

Did not submit the documents/Refused. The status assigned to candidates who did not provide originals of the documents by the stated deadline, which means that the candidate refuses to study at University.

Did not come to Orientation week/Refused. The status is assigned to candidates who accepted the offer letter, provided hard copies of documents, but did not participate in Orientation week. The vacant place, if available, can be offered to the candidates in the Waiting list.

Enrolled to program. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the main program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.