Higher Education in IT: An Overview of Narxoz University

Narxoz University offers education in the fields of economics and management, law and public administration, social sciences, and information technology in three languages: Kazakh, Russian, and English.

Over the past 60 years, the university has undergone a significant transformation: from a specialized economic institute to a multidisciplinary university where more than 140,000 graduates have received relevant education. In 2022, Narxoz University received unconditional institutional accreditation from the international agency FIBAA, confirming the quality and effectiveness of all internal policies and procedures.

The university strives to provide the best opportunities for study and research, become a magnet for talented students from Kazakhstan and abroad, and rank among the top universities in terms of digitalization.

Graduates' competencies expand every year—this includes not only knowledge of the English language, teamwork skills, critical and systemic thinking, but also, in the future, programming in Python. Additionally, Narxoz University was one of the first universities to issue NFT diplomas, which include graduate metadata and are stored and secured in a blockchain system.

Accreditation

According to the flagship ranking of the world's best universities by the international analytical agency QS, Narxoz University entered the top 200. In 2023, the university appeared in seven international rankings and ranked among the top 25% of universities worldwide in terms of management quality according to the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024.

The university ranked 306th globally in management quality on its first attempt, and also secured 413th and 770th places in the indicators of "Sustainable Development in Environmental Protection" and "Creating Equal Opportunities," respectively.

As a result of the QS rating agency audit, Narxoz University received five stars for such indicators as teaching quality, inclusive environment, graduate employment, and career opportunities.

In the "Atameken" employer ranking, the university took first place among private universities in terms of graduate demand, and in the Academic Integrity League ranking, it also took first place.

The School of Digital Technologies was established in 2021. The school's educational programs are included in the top 10 educational programs in the national university ranking "Atameken."

Bachelor's Programs

Since its establishment, the university has trained students in machine processing of economic information and prepared specialists for organizing the work of machine accounting stations and computing centers. In 2021, based on IT and data specialties, a separate faculty—the School of Digital Technologies—was opened at Narxoz University.

For high school and college graduates interested in IT and data professions, Narxoz University offers five educational programs:

— Digital Engineering: prepares programmers and develops them in the direction of Fullstack development, DevOps engineering, and artificial intelligence

— Digital Management and Design: prepares IT product managers and digital media specialists

— Cybersecurity: chosen by future information security specialists with a focus on system protection and data protection

— Applied Mathematics in Digital Economy: allows mastering the Python programming language and universal mathematical tools to use them for applied data analysis and risk analysis and modeling

— Statistics and Data Science: also prepares Python-based data specialists, but with a focus on data science and business statistics.

At the master's level, the School of Digital Technologies offers two programs:
 
— Data Engineering: with immersion in ML and cloud technologies

— Cybersecurity: with a focus on network security and prevention and counteraction of cyber-attacks.

All programs of the School of Digital Technologies have passed international program accreditation.

Faculty

Teaching is conducted by instructors with real work experience in the IT industry. Students study Java, Python, R, and C++ languages with programmers who have over 10 years of experience and authors of online video tutorials on programming.

Framework upgrades for students are conducted by leading developers of web applications and online services. Students study computer networks with Cisco instructors. Courses on 2D and 3D design are taught by specialists in 3D graphics and GameDev with experience collaborating with Disney, Autodesk, and Chaos Group.

Training and exercises in cyber hygiene, encryption algorithms, cryptographic information protection, and repelling external attacks are conducted by specialists with practical experience in the field of information security and data protection.

Student preparation in ML and AI is led by authors and developers of various software, researchers specializing in speech recognition, emotion recognition, and computer vision.

Opportunities for Students

Knowledge gained in the classroom is applied by students in practice. The university operates dual programs. Under these programs, students acquire professional skills that can be included in their academic transcript. For two consecutive years, they interned as IT specialists at the international hotel Rixos Borovoe. Starting from 2025, a similar program will launch with Beeline Kazakhstan.

In addition to dual programs, all students undergo about two months of professional practice during the summer between their third and fourth years. The career development and alumni relations center works on selecting practice bases.

Academic Mobility

The university encourages all bachelor's and master's students to study, intern, and conduct scientific research abroad. Students can participate in short-term or one-year academic mobility programs in 29 countries around the world. If you have studied at Narxoz University for at least six months, have good grades, a GPA of 3.0, English proficiency level B2 or higher, and have reviewed all available universities and chosen one where you can take suitable disciplines for you—you are ready for the academic mobility competition. Over the past couple of years, IT and data students have gone on mobility to universities such as Schmalkalden University in Germany, University of Maribor in Slovenia, and University of Tsukuba in Japan.

Partner Universities

Narxoz University has more than 70 partner universities from 23 countries. The full list can be viewed at this link.

Student Life

The university has three dormitories, and another one will be built by the start of the academic year. The buildings are located near the academic buildings, equipped with Wi-Fi internet, and guarded 24/7. Two to three people live in each room.

The university has 18 student organizations covering various areas—sports, gaming, music, creativity, debates, environmental organizations, and other interest-based communities. The Student Council of the School of Digital Technologies organizes MathRix contests and coding competitions, holds festive events, and hosts hackathons. The School of Digital Technologies also has a 3D graphics club, an esports organization, and a mentors' council.

Employment

To maintain connections with potential employers, a business council has been established with the participation of leading domestic companies in the IT sector, information security, analytics, media, and GameDev. At business council meetings, the development of educational programs and current trends in IT personnel training are discussed.