Internationalization of Higher Education in Kazakhstan: The Case of the Medical University

Abstract

My paper is focused on the internationalization of higher education in Central Asia with concentration in Kazakhstan. Recently there has been a rapid growth of overseas students in universities all over the country that demands development of new approaches to the management of intercultural education and study programs as well as to students’ extracurricular activity. The internationalization of higher education is timely challenge for Kazakhstan which should be studied to improve universities’ competitiveness and the quality of education. For recent 3-5 years the quantity of foreign students is rapidly increased in Kazakhstan, in particular, in medical schools which face with various challenges of intercultural education. My paper is based on mixed quantitative (survey of 655 foreign students) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews with 11 students) methods using to conduct the inquiry in 2014-2017. My preliminary research questions include the following: What are the dynamics and geography of foreign students in Central Asia? What are the class, age and gender gauges of higher education internationalization in Central Asia? Why do they choose Kazakhstan to study and what are their aims and motivations to get a higher education degree in Central Asian region? How does internationalization affect university infrastructure, curriculum, and management and the urban areas where students study and live? What are the language dynamics and gender issues influencing intercultural education in Kazakhstan? What are possible social and economic approaches to internationalization of education in Central Asia?