Kazakhstan plans to shorten university degree programs

Kazakhstan is planning to shorten the length of university study, according to Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek. He said four years of study is too long for some professions.

According to the official, Kazakhstani universities are currently free to adjust the length of their programs themselves, as the ministry does not restrict them from doing so.

«There are certain professions for which four years of study is too long. We have now submitted a proposal to the cabinet to allow universities to shorten the duration of study for applied bachelor’s degrees,» the minister said.

In addition, Nurbek mentioned hybrid and flexible study formats.

«We have already prepared the regulatory framework for this and tested pilot projects. It really works,» he noted, without elaborating on how exactly the new formats would operate.