Kazakhstan Celebrates the First Graduates of Dual Degree Programs with the University of Arizona

Today in Petropavl, the first graduates of the joint academic programs between Kozybayev University and the University of Arizona received dual diplomas - one from a Kazakhstani university and one from an American university. The ceremony marked an important milestone in the development of international cooperation in higher education, Modern Education magazine reports, citing the press service of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Higher education diplomas, along with letters of appreciation presented to top-performing students and active members of the university community, were awarded by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek; Akim of the North Kazakhstan Region, Gauyez Nurmukhambetov; U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Kazakhstan, Julie Stufft; and President of the University of Arizona, Suresh Garimella.

The partnership between M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan University and the University of Arizona has become one of the most successful examples of the internationalization of higher education in Kazakhstan. The project is being implemented as part of the policy initiated by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to attract leading international universities and enhance the global competitiveness of the country's higher education system.

“Before us stand the first graduates of the first foreign university to establish a presence in Kazakhstan - the University of Arizona. It was this university that became the first to respond to the Head of State’s initiative in 2022. Today, we can confidently say that this decision has fully justified itself. The University of Arizona has become much more than the first foreign university to open a micro-campus in Petropavl. It has pioneered a new model of international higher education based on academic excellence, mutual trust, and a shared responsibility for educating the professionals of the future,”

said Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek.

University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella noted that the partnership between the two universities has become a successful example of combining the educational traditions and academic strengths of the two countries.

“Four years ago, the University of Arizona and Kozybayev University decided to join forces to create a project that would connect our countries, overcome language barriers, and bring together different educational traditions. Our partnership began in 2022 with the launch of a dual degree program that initially enrolled just 43 students. Today, 368 students are enrolled in the program. And today, we are celebrating our very first graduates. These students placed their trust in a university whose leadership had the courage and vision to look beyond traditional boundaries. Today, our graduates are fully prepared to become leaders in an increasingly interconnected global world,”

 emphasized Suresh Garimella.

Today, more than 1,200 students are enrolled in the joint academic programs, including 359 students pursuing dual degree programs. The universities currently implement six dual degree programs and twelve international academic programs. The two universities also collaborate on research in genomics, agricultural technologies, water resources, and sulfur polymerization.

The first graduating class of the dual degree programs confirms the effectiveness of the international academic cooperation model being implemented in Kazakhstan, which opens up new opportunities for training globally competitive, world-class specialists.