6-year Undergraduate Medical Program

Introduction to Medicine is a one-semester introductory course that gives an overview of the Medical Sciences (Pre-Medicine) program and provides students with insight into various aspects of a physician profession. Through guest speakers, lectures, classroom discussions and readings, the students will gain understanding of the competencies, professionalism, and decision making skills needed to succeed in health professions. Students will be provided with information, resources, and tools to assist with planning and preparing for a career in medicine and biomedicine.

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the principles and methodologies of modern biochemistry. The course includes all the major topics in biochemistry in considerable depth including thermodynamics and enzymology, details of amino acid and nucleic acid structure, DNA and protein structure, synthesis and function from a biochemical perspective, structure and synthesis of lipids, as well as basic metabolic pathways.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. It covers topics including opportunity identification, idea generation, building business models and plans, to presenting ideas. We will discuss the role of entrepreneurial activity in Kazakhstan’s economy. The course is a guide to high-growth entrepreneurship, combining theoretical frameworks with cases and practice-oriented exercises.

This course includes the study of the structure, synthesis and reactions of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, stereochemistry, and alcohols. It is designed to prepare science majors and other students for upper-division courses in their respective fields.

The Introduction to Immunology, Microbiology and Genetics course prepares students to take the Immunology in Health and Disease, Human Genetics and Medical Microbiology courses. This course is an introduction to the principles of immunology including organs, cells and soluble components of the immune system. It focuses on definitions of antigens and antibodies, specificity of the immune response, understanding “self” and “non-self”. In addition, immunoglobulin structure, the genetics of immunoglobulin synthesis, cellular cooperation in the immune response, infectious and cancer immunity are studied. In addition, basic principles of microbiology will be taught as well. This course will introduce students to the basic properties of bacteria, archaea, eukaryotic microorganisms and viruses, with an emphasis on bacteria. The diversity within the microbial world will be emphasized, as well as their relevance to the health and diseases of humans. Moreover, this course will give students a broad introduction to human genetics and will prepare students to take Human Genetics. The course describes basic principles and mechanisms of physical characteristics/traits inheritance and development in living organisms.

The Introduction to Anatomy and Histology course prepares students to take the Medical Anatomy, Cellular Pathologic Basis of Disease and other courses in the School of Medicine. This course focuses on the principles of human anatomy and physiology including mechanisms for homeostasis, chemical utilization and structure-function relationships. It also provides an introduction to pathophysiology and histology. The laboratory portion is focused on the anatomy and physiology of the human body.

In addition, this course focuses on the functional integration of the anatomical topography, as well as the physiological and ultrastructural dimensions of the human body.

Examination of basic histological and cytological techniques, including a comprehensive study of the ultrastructure of the eukaryotic animal cell. Basic tissue types and organ systems will be discussed as well.

The purpose of this course is to introduce incoming medical students to what it means to be a physician, with an emphasis on the patient’s experience with chronic disease and the health care system. Students will have the opportunity to observe how physicians from a variety of disciplines apply their communication and clinical skills to patient care. Students will have the opportunity to observe physician-patient interactions, as well as to talk directly with patients and their family members about their personal experiences with physicians and the medical care system at large. This course will focus on learning how health problems affect patients and their families, and the role a physician can play in modifying that effect. There will also be a segment that introduces students to the role physicians can play in affecting the overall health of a community. Upon entering medical school, most individuals gradually evolve from thinking of themselves as students to that of physicians in training. This transition takes place even for those who pursue careers that are not directly involved in patient care, such as pathology or medical informatics, as well as those who plan to pursue a research career. The patient remains the focus for pursuing excellence in any career path in medicine. In this course, the students begin their journey with their focus directly on the patient (and the patient’s family).

Purpose of this course is to provide a life-like learning environment in which medical students will be able to develop and practice effective medical interviewing skills. Within the course the students increase their knowledge, skills, and appreciation of the process and content of the medical interview and the interpersonal communication skills used to conduct it. By the end of the course, students will get the significance of the medical interview as a basic clinical skill, learn the basic components of a complete medical history, observe, identify, and correctly label the basic skills of a clinical interview.

This course is dedicated to teaching students to perform a physical examination. The BPE course is the second course of the Patient Care Block I. After Basics of Medical Interviewing, where students learnt how to connect to patients, develop an effective doctor-patient relationship and gather relevant health information, they will learn how to perform a flawless physical examination before the encounter with real patients. The basic elements of the physical examination are introduced in didactic sessions that will be followed by practice sessions in small groups in the Simulated Center. Students are divided in groups with an instructor dedicated to teaching the skills of physical examination and will practice on each other as regular practice in most medical schools. Standardized patient examination sessions are also a part of this course at the very end before the final practical exam.

In the Clinical Experiences students are observers of medical practice in a range of settings, such as primary care ambulatories, clinics and physicians’ offices.

In the Advanced Physical Examination course students will apply their learned skills with selected real patients, as a flawless continuation with what has been experienced in year 1. They will perform medical interviews and physical examination on the patient’s bed, in Russian or Kazakh language, under faculty observation.

The aim of this course is to explore the skills of the medical interview in more depth now that you have had a chance to interview real patients. We also will explain a structured format to the complete medical interview, describe parts of the interview which have not been presented yet, and to provide opportunities to practice and receive feedback from standardized patients and facilitators.

Clinical Procedures course introduces students to some of the basic diagnostic and therapeutic invasive and noninvasive procedures that they may perform on patients while on their clinical rotations. This course will be delivered through the state of the art Simulation Centre, through electronic mannequin.

Anatomical knowledge remains one of the cornerstones of modern medical practice. This course represents a seven week program designed to provide an introduction to anatomical and medical terminology and broad coverage of all aspects of human functional and gross anatomy. The practical component of the course generally parallels and reinforces lecture concepts through the use of models, skeletal materials and pathology demonstration. A highly interactive learning environment is being fostered by the use of the three-dimensional educational tool, Anatomage table, which offers dynamic approach to individual and team-based learning.

Human Genetics course is designed to provide students with general knowledge related to the organization of human genome, structure and function of DNA and RNA, inheritance mechanisms of simple and complex traits, genomics approaches and its application in medicine, types of genetic and chromosomal mutations and their role in human disease, description of clinical cases of the most frequent genetic disorders etc.

The Fuel Metabolism course provides the foundation for understanding metabolic processes taking place in the body under various circumstances. Different metabolic processes (carbohydrate-, lipid- and protein metabolism) will be discussed and connected with one another, and differences between these processes in healthy and ill individuals will be highlighted, which will include also information about diagnosis and treatment of metabolic disorders.

In this course students will learn about the basic principles and mechanisms of commonly used drugs and how they exert their actions. Students will learn about pharmacokinetics including absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion and pharmacodynamics including drug-receptor interaction. Students will learn and apply commonly used pharmacological terminologies including agonist, antagonist (reversible, irreversible, competitive etc.), drug half-life, volume of distribution, bioavailability, elimination rate, area under the curve and many other relevant terms. Drugs that target autonomic nervous system such as cholinergic agonists and antagonists and adrenergic agonists and antagonists will also be covered in details. Furthermore, students will be introduced to the major drug classes and will learn about their mechanisms of action and will conclude the pharmacology course with common issues of clinical pharmacology.

This course is focused on structural and functional properties of cells and tissues in both normal and disease states. Basic principles in cell biology, histology and pathology will be presented with core pharmacological principles to illustrate molecular mechanisms of normal and abnormal cell function as well as well strategies utilizing drugs to restore cellular function. Learning formats include lectures, team based learning (TBL), and problem based learning (PBL), workshops and laboratory exercises. Faculty members involved in this course have expertise in topics including cell biology and genetics, immunology, neurobiology, and pathology.

This course will allow students to better understand the functions of the immune system in health and disease and the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the development of a wide range of diseases associated with the immune system. The course emphasizes the study of principle mechanisms at the molecular, cellular and functional levels of innate and acquired immunity, molecular aspects of immune regulation, cell signaling and activation, gene regulation and expression, impact of molecular changes at the tissue level, and the use of therapeutics to correct and modulate the functioning of the immune system.

The Medical Microbiology course introduces basic concepts of infectious disease, focusing on bacteriology, virology, parasitology, the mechanisms of disease transmission and treatment.

The Neuroscience course serves as a foundation for understanding the organization and function of the human nervous system. It contains refreshment of the neuroanatomy knowledge and basic physiology, also clinical cases presented, including information about diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases. During the sessions the anatomical aspects are reinforced as well as some exposure to neuro-imaging modalities provided. The course is structured in such a way that related topics are presented in the same week as much as possible.

The Cardiovascular System Course is part of the Organ System Pathophysiology Block I. This five-week course will cover the anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and pathology of the cardiovascular system and integrate these basic disciplines with the clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory diagnosis and treatment of the patient with cardiovascular disease.

The Pulmonary System course covers respiratory mechanics, ventilation, perfusion, pulmonary function testing, chest radiology, etiology, pathogenesis, physiology, clinical aspects and treatment of pulmonary diseases including COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer.

The Renal System course covers the anatomy, histology, physiology, pharmacology and embryology of the renal organ system, as well as the pathophysiology and treatment of renal diseases. Students are first introduced to the embryology, anatomy and histology of the kidney. Normal renal physiology follows, including discussion of renal blood flow regulation, water and electrolyte homeostasis, and evaluation of renal function. The latter part of the course is devoted to disorders of water and electrolyte homeostasis, diseases of the kidney and evaluation and treatment of these conditions. Treatment includes discussion of pharmacologic agents commonly used in the diseases of the kidney as well as renal replacement therapies including dialysis and renal transplantation.

In the Introduction to Psychiatry course students will familiarize with the main common psychiatric illnesses, identifying how neurobiological factors play out in behavior, and how treatment approaches derive from this understanding. This is the first part of the block consisting in two courses that will be individually assessed.

The course will allow the students to understand the contribution of the endocrine system to homeostasis, common endocrine disease presentations and their treatment. The student will learn the normal structure, function, and organization of the endocrine system, will become familiar with the etiology, pathophysiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of the clinically important disorders of the endocrine system.

This 5‐week course covers the histology, physiology and pharmacology of the normal GI system, as well as the pathophysiology, pathology and treatment of GI diseases. This course is intentionally scheduled after students have mastered the fundamentals of basic physiologic concepts and will serve as a transition from how the body works in its normal state to what occurs when this is disrupted by disease. Expect a healthy balance of both scientific and clinical medicine to be presented.

The Hematology and Oncology course is designed to give the students the necessary knowledge of medical hematology and oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, gynecologic oncology, pathology, radiology, biostatistics and behavioral medicine. The students will familiarize with the etiology, pathogenesis and disorders of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, will understand the coagulopathies, anticoagulant and thrombolytic therapies, and will learn the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of hematologic malignancies and different laboratory techniques. The students will experience various settings and disciplines involved in the complex care of a patient with cancer.

The Skin and Musculoskeletal course will focus on diseases and conditions of skin and musculoskeletal disorders, including connective tissues. The students will learn the etiology, pathophysiology and clinical presentation of common dermatologic and musculoskeletal conditions, will correlate clinical findings with specific disease patterns, and will explain the role of preventative measures in reducing serious skin conditions.

The Reproductive and Developmental Biology course covers obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics and male reproductive system and will focus on the basic principles underlying the normal processes of reproduction and development. The students will learn gametogenesis, embryogenesis, pregnancy adaptation, fetal development, normal and abnormal childhood development, puberty, menopause and the process of aging.

This course is designed to begin the exploration of the ethical, and professional issues that define the practice of medicine. The course has 16 sessions and runs on Monday afternoons 1 – 4.00 pm. The session comprises one-hour lecture followed by a small group session conducted by a facilitator where cases are analyzed and discussed in small groups. The course begins with an introduction to the principles of professionalism and ethical analysis, the complementary and contradictory frameworks for approaching dilemmas in medicine. Once the introductory framework is established, a series of issues are discussed including: informed consent, end-of-life care, abortion, confidentiality, medical errors, threats to professionalism, caring for minors. Some sessions explore the fields of Biomedical Ethics and Research Ethics.

This course stands as the second component of the Patient, Physician and Society block (PPS) in the medical curriculum. The other PPS courses are: English, Russian and Kazakh medical terminology, Medical Ethics and Professionalism (MEP), and Health System and Administration. These courses emphasize that physicians work in a larger context for care, where specific skills and a knowledge base may be essential but insufficient in providing optimal care for patients. In this course, we will introduce part of the philosophical grounding for this claim-the biopsychosocial model-and then we will look at models and methods of behavior change that can help us in the future as we work with patients.

This course gives an overview of important topics related to the healthcare system on different levels and to the challenges of health administration. It also gives an understanding of processes in health policy and health economics. The course will give real cases both from national and international experience which will help them to solve the problems that healthcare managers face.

In the course Evidence Based Medicine and Biostatistics, students will learn the basic statistical methods and analytical epidemiological reasoning tools to be able to critically interpret and utilize the peer-reviewed medical research literature for medical practice. The skill sets acquired will help you to optimize the care of your patients through enhancing the prevention of adverse conditions, improve diagnostics, treatment and management, and prognoses through appropriate utilization of the best evidence available.

The Population Health course provides methods to address health challenges for whole populations, rather than in the clinical setting which addresses one patient at a time. The course includes identifying and evaluating socio-economic /behavioral and health access determinants and risk factors impacting the health of marginalized populations and the overall population, responding to disasters and disease outbreaks/epidemics to minimize the impact the impact on health of the population, and to assess and address patient safety and health service quality to protect patient populations. Each class will provide a one-hour interactive lecture followed by related group work on real-life case studies or field trips.

The Anesthesiology clerkship lasts two weeks and includes one week in adult anesthesiology (National Research Center Oncology and Transplantation) and one week in pediatric anesthesiology (National Research Center for Maternal and Child Health). The overall goal of this clerkship is to let the student understand the basic management of the perioperative patient. Exposure to patients in the clinic setting will give the student opportunity to practice interview and documentation skills. The student may be given the opportunity to participate in procedures as the preceptor determines his/her readiness.

The Obstetrics & Gynecology clerkship course is a 4-week clerkship focused on health care for women of both reproductive and postmenopausal ages. Students will rotate through three clinical segments, including outpatient services (outpatient clinics and offices), obstetrics (labor and delivery suite), and gynecology (private service and university service). Daily schedules include teaching rounds, evaluation of outpatients, preparation of patients for surgery and assisting at surgery and deliveries, postoperative and postpartum care, case-based learning sessions. The location is the UMC (National Research Center for Maternal and Child Health and RDC).

This 6-week clerkship covers the different disciplines of general surgery. The location for the surgery clerkship is the National scientific center for oncology and transplantation. The course is primarily designed to prepare students to become familiar with the clinical presentations and management of common surgical problems. The course also aims to improve skills relevant to the discipline. Students will participate in the pre-operative and post-operative patients’ management and attend the operating room.

This is an 8-week clerkship which exposes students to pediatric patients in an inpatient setting mainly. Students will be rotating every 2 weeks in four different pediatric departments at the UMC National Research Center for Mother and Child Health (NRCMCH). Students will be assigned to a pediatric team and participate in all aspects of patient care and management, including taking histories and performing physical examinations; writing progress notes; and communicating with other members of the medical team, attending physicians, referring physicians, consultants, families, and patients. In addition, students will attend conferences, case discussions and rounds held throughout the rotation.

The overall aim of this 8-week clerkship is to provide students with the essential experiences with adult patients with general clinical complaints. During the sub-rotations, students are assigned with their own patients and apply their clinical skills under faculty's and doctors’ supervision. Students learn how to take an accurate and pertinent history, conduct a physical examination, recognize patterns of illness, and acquire approaches to disease management. Clerkship location is the National Research Center for Oncology and Transplantation, UMC.

The Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine Clerkship is oriented around key areas of critical illness and emergency medicine that have been identified as essential for medical school graduates to know. This clerkship is a mixture of hands-on patient care experience. Students will be assigned to an intensive care unit and emergency department where they become active members of the care team. They will make daily teaching rounds, and follow, assess and treat critically ill and emergency patients. Each student will be supervised by a NU SOM-affiliated physician. The students will be required to participate in all daily activities of the ICU and emergency department.

This clerkship will take place in the general intensive care unit and emergency of the Second City Hospital. During this clerkship the students will be expected to learn the following: differential diagnosis in critically ill and emergency patients, rational laboratory and radiological testing, chronic management of patients with multiple medical and surgical problems. Issues within the context of patients who have life-threatening neurological or cardiovascular disorders will also be addressed and may include: ventilator management, acute pharmacologic therapy for hemodynamic instability, effective antimicrobial therapy, nutritional support, multisystem dysfunction. The assessment process is made of three components:

1. Clinical competence

2. Knowledge assessment

3. Performance based skills.

The Family Medicine Clerkship is a 4-week rotation that encompasses the comprehensive and longitudinal care of patients with a special emphasis on care of individuals in the context of families and communities. The overall aim of the clerkship experience is to provide students with the essential experiences where they will apply their knowledge and skills as they develop competence in the care of patients. This clerkship shares with all other clinical experiences and clerkships a fundamental set of objectives that are a subset of the overall objectives of the MD curriculum. Students are expected to see patients on their own prior to reviewing them with a preceptor as well as attend all teaching activities at the community-based site. Students will generally see two to three patients per each half-day session. Students are expected to be involved in as many aspects of patient care as possible including follow-up visits. While primarily an outpatient experience, they are expected to participate in a variety of family medicine activities when available including home visits and house calls.

Be sure to read the instructions about the application procedure given in your personal account.

Open the Undergraduate Programs link on the “My Application Forms” page and fill out the Foundation and Undergraduate Application Form that includes a consent form for personal data processing. Make sure you have entered all the required information in the correct manner and press the “Upload” button.

3.The format of requested documents is available in a personal account.

The Admissions Department will check your application and contact you if there is an issue with the application or inform you of any missing documents and the deadlines to submit them. Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be considered in the competition.

1. Send an official electronic report of a valid IELTS/TOEFL certificate via the test administrator directly to NU;
2. Upload a scanned copy and insert the TRF number into the “Upload IELTS/TOEFL results” section of your 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: NU, Admissions Department
• Code for TOEFL iBT: 6762

• Minimum requirements for language test results are available in the “Entry examinations and requirements” section;
• Tests taken remotely, such as IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, and TOEFL PDT, are not considered in the competition;
• All provided certificates must be valid by August 1, 2025 - the beginning of the respective academic year.
• The deadline for submission of IELTS/TOEFL certificates is available in the “Important dates” section.
• Please note that submitting IELTS/TOEFL certificates to NU's electronic database is not the responsibility of the university. You should contact the test center independently and ensure your certificate has been sent. Please allow at least 7-10 working days for this process. If the certificate is received after the deadline specified by the Admissions Department, results will not be considered in the competition.

Go to the admissions.nu.edu.kz portal and press the “Sign Up” button and fill out the required information in English. Please select the undergraduate program during choosing the academic level.

After completing the application, confirm it by clicking on the link sent to your mailbox.

Be sure to read the instructions about the application procedure given in your personal account.

Applicants meeting the following eligibility criteria can take part in the competition:

1. Students in the final year of secondary education institutions, technical, vocational, post-secondary and higher education institutions;

2. Students studying in higher education institutions;

3. Graduates from secondary, post-secondary or higher education institutions.

Open the Undergraduate Programs link at the “My Application Forms” page and fill out the Foundation and Undergraduate Application Form that includes a consent form for personal data processing. Make sure you have entered all the required information in the correct manner and press the “Upload” button.

After filling out the application form, you are required to upload to your personal account:

1. a scanned copy of proof of your studies at a final grade/course with a photo (according to the template in a personal account in one of the languages) or a scanned version of a certificate/diploma with transcripts if you have already completed a relevant level of study.
2. a scanned copy of national ID card and/or passport. The copies from eGov or any other platforms/electronic services are not accepted. Important: to take the entry exam, an applicant must have an original of a passport or a national identity card that was uploaded to a personal account;
3. Upload a 3*4 photo for documents to the “Profile” section in your personal account.

The format of requested documents is available in the personal account.

To finalize the application process, please click on the "PAY AND SUBMIT APPLICATION" button in your personal account under the "My Application Forms" section. The application fee shall be paid online through the payment options available in the personal account. The use of other payment methods for the application fee are not acceptable.

The application fee is 10 000 tenge. The application fee is increased 3 times from the established amount when paid within the last two weeks before the first officially-approved deadline and during the extension period for accepting applications for participation in the admission process (30 000 tenge). The application fee is non-refundable, irrespective of the application outcome or payment errors.

If you don't have a personal card, you may use the card of another person.

After submission, applicants cannot make any changes in their applications and submitted documents.

The Admissions Department will check your application and contact you if there is an issue with the application or specify if some documents are missing and deadlines to submit them. Incomplete or incorrect (uncorrected) applications will not be considered in the competition.

In order to provide IELTS/TOEFL certificates, applicants should fulfill the following requirements:

1. To send an official electronic report of valid IELTS/TOEFL certificate via the test administrator directly to NU;
2. To upload its scanned copy and insert its TRF number 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.

IELTS/TOEFL certificates are considered without superscoring.

Take care when entering information regarding codes for test certificate submission via the test administrator or the test center. See below:

• Code for IELTS: NU, Admissions Department
• Code for TOEFL iBT: 6762

Detailed instruction about providing of IELTS/TOEFL certificates is available in applicants’ personal accounts.

• Minimum requirements for language test results are available in the “Entry examinations and requirements” section;
• Tests taken remotely, not in the Test Center, such as IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition and TOEFL PDT results are not considered in the competition;
• All provided certificates must be valid by August 1, 2025 - the beginning of the respective academic year.
• Deadline for submission of IELTS/TOEFL certificates is available in the “Important dates” section.

Please note that submission of IELTS/TOEFL certificates in the electronic database of NU 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.

Please check your email 1-2 weeks before the NUET exam – the information about the upcoming exam date, time and venue along with exam rules will be sent there.

Please keep in mind that sometimes letters from the university may go to the spam box.

If you experience any difficulties with the application, send an email to info_admissions@nu.edu.kz. Do not forget to provide a detailed description of the problem, your IIN (for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan) and Applicant ID number.

Instructional video with a sample application form for the Undergraduate and Foundation programs

Watch the instructional video with an example of completing the application form for the undergraduate and NUFYP programs. Some details can differ from the last application version. Please note that personal details given in the application form are fictional.