CURRICULUM INTERNATIONALISATION AND LOCAL ADAPTATION IN KAZAKHSTANI DUAL-DEGREE STEM PROGRAMMES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59787/2413-5488-2026-55-3-148-165Keywords:
curriculum internationalisation; dual-degree programmes; local adaptation; STEM education; document analysisAbstract
Kazakhstan has expanded joint and dual degree provision; however, research has not to date examined how a local programme differs from its foreign-partner version within the same university. This study compares two STEM programme pairs at regional Kazakhstani universities: Biotechnology at Kozybayev University and its University of Arizona-linked version, and Electroenergy at Zhubanov University and its Heriot-Watt-linked version. The corpus comprises EPVO records, university programme pages, and partner-university webpages. Using qualitative comparative document analysis in an embedded multiple-case design, the study examines curriculum structure, content, learning outcomes, skills orientation, international integration, and local adaptation. The documents reveal contrasting curricular logics. Local programmes emphasize sector practice, national standards, regulation, and domestic labour-market needs. Dual-degree versions retain that base but reallocate emphasis toward industrial and research-oriented biotechnology, and toward digital, computational, sustainable, and project-based engineering. The paper contributes a programme-level account of curriculum internationalisation and names this pattern curriculum layering.
References
Arizona International. (2023, January 23). UArizona partners with Kozybayev University in Northern Kazakhstan to launch our newest microcampus and the first in Central Asia. University of Arizona. https://international.arizona.edu/news/uarizona-partners-kozybayev-university-northern-kazakhstan-launch-our-newest-microcampus-and
Caniglia, G., John, B., Bellina, L., Lang, D. J., Wiek, A., Cohmer, S., & Laubichler, M. D. (2018). The glocal curriculum: A model for transnational collaboration in higher education for sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 171, 368–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.207
Chankseliani, M. (2022). What happened to the Soviet university? Oxford University Press.
EPVO. (n.d.-a). 6B05102 Биотехнология. Register of Educational Programmes. Retrieved July 7, 2026, from https://epvo.kz/#/register/education_program/application/62187
EPVO. (n.d.-b). 6B05111 Биотехнология. Register of Educational Programmes. Retrieved July 7, 2026, from https://epvo.kz/#/register/education_program/application/52657
EPVO. (n.d.-c). 6B07106 Электроэнергетика. Register of Educational Programmes. Retrieved July 7, 2026, from https://epvo.kz/#/register/education_program/application/64086
EPVO. (n.d.-d). 6B07108 Электроэнергетика (ҚР + UK). Register of Educational Programmes. Retrieved July 7, 2026, from https://epvo.kz/#/register/education_program/application/69757
European Training Foundation. (2021). National qualifications framework: Kazakhstan. https://www.etf.europa.eu
Gale, N. K., Heath, G., Cameron, E., Rashid, S., & Redwood, S. (2013). Using the framework method for the analysis of qualitative data in multi-disciplinary health research. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 13, Article 117. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-13-117
Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2023, March 28). Об утверждении Концепции развития высшего образования и науки в Республике Казахстан на 2023–2029 годы [On approval of the Concept for the Development of Higher Education and Science in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2023–2029] (Resolution No. 248; as amended by Resolution No. 471 of June 14, 2024). Adilet Legal Information System. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2300000248
Hartley, M., Gopaul, B., Sagintayeva, A., & Apergenova, R. (2016). Learning autonomy: Higher education reform in Kazakhstan. Higher Education, 72(3), 277–289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9953-z
Heriot-Watt University. (2023). Heriot-Watt forms pioneering strategic partnership in Kazakhstan. https://www.hw.ac.uk/news/2023/heriot-watt-forms-pioneering-strategic-partnership-in-kazakhstan
Higher Education Development National Center [ENIC-Kazakhstan]. (n.d.). History of Bologna process. https://enic-kazakhstan.edu.kz/en/bologna_process/history
Hsieh, H.-F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687
Independent Agency for Quality Assurance in Education [IQAA]. (n.d.). Kazakhstan joined the Bologna Process. https://iqaa.org
Karabassova, L. (2020). Understanding trilingual education reform in Kazakhstan: Why is it stalled? In D. Egéa (Ed.), Education in Central Asia (Education, Equity, Economy, Vol. 8, pp. 37–51). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50127-3_3
Knight, J. (2004). Internationalization remodeled: Definition, approaches, and rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315303260832
Knight, J. (2011). Doubts and dilemmas with double degree programs. RUSC: Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 8(2), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v8i2.1067
Knight, J., & Lee, J. (2012). International joint, double, and consecutive degree programs: New developments, issues, and challenges. In D. K. Deardorff, H. de Wit, J. D. Heyl, & T. Adams (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of international higher education. SAGE.
Komekbayev, Y., Kurmangaliyeva, D., & Dyke, G. J. (2025). Unlocking scientific potential through dual degrees in Kazakhstan’s higher education system. Iberoamerican Journal of Science Measurement and Communication, 5(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.47909/ijsmc.225
Komekbayev, Y., Kurmangaliyeva, D., & Kassenov, K. (2025). Joint double degree education as a new standard of educational program quality. Higher School of Kazakhstan, 52(4), 36–49. https://doi.org/10.59787/2413-5488-2025-52-4-36-49
Kuzhabekova, A., Bilyalov, D., & Mussabayeva, M. (2022). Faculty views on internationalization in Kazakhstan. Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 12(Supplement), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.2399/yod.21.202204
Lane, J. E., & Kinser, K. (2011). Reconsidering privatization in cross-border engagements: The sometimes public nature of private activity. Higher Education Policy, 24(2), 255–273. https://doi.org/10.1057/hep.2011.2
Leask, B. (2015). Internationalizing the curriculum. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315716954
M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan University. (n.d.). 6B05103 Biotechnology. https://ku.edu.kz/en/educationalProgram/passport?id=1144
Manan, S. A., & Hajar, A. (2024). Understanding English medium instruction policy from the perspectives of STEM content teachers in Kazakhstan. TESOL Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.847
Marginson, S., & Rhoades, G. (2002). Beyond national states, markets, and systems of higher education: A glonacal agency heuristic. Higher Education, 43(3), 281–309. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014699605875
McBurnie, G., & Ziguras, C. (2007). Transnational education: Issues and trends in offshore higher education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203968352
Miani, M. (2026). Glocal tensions in transnational higher education in China: The case of a foundation year in a Sino-foreign cooperative university. Higher Education Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70085
Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2022, October 12). Об утверждении Правил ведения реестра образовательных программ, реализуемых организациями высшего и (или) послевузовского образования, а также основания включения в реестр образовательных программ и исключения из него [On approval of the Rules for maintaining the register of educational programmes implemented by organisations of higher and/or postgraduate education, and grounds for inclusion in and exclusion from the register] (Order No. 106). Adilet Legal Information System. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V2200030139
Obst, D., & Kuder, M. (2012). International joint- and double-degree programs. International Higher Education, 66, 5–7.
Obst, D., Kuder, M., & Banks, C. (2011). Joint and double degree programs in the global context: Report on an international survey. Institute of International Education. https://www.iie.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Joint-Double-Degree-Survey-Report-2011.pdf
Owens, T. L., & Lane, J. E. (2014). Cross-border higher education: Global and local tensions within competition and economic development. New Directions for Higher Education, 2014(168), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20114
Sagintayeva, A., & Kurakbayev, K. (2015). Understanding the transition of public universities to institutional autonomy in Kazakhstan. European Journal of Higher Education, 5(2), 197–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2014.967794
Shahjahan, R. A., Miao, S., & Baizhanov, S. (2024). Actualizing curriculum internationalization: An integrative review. Comparative Education Review, 68(2), 262–285. https://doi.org/10.1086/729664
Silova, I. (Ed.). (2011). Globalization on the margins: Education and post-socialist transformations in Central Asia. Information Age Publishing.
The Astana Times. (2024, July). Kazakhstan bolsters foreign university partnerships, promotes academic research. https://astanatimes.com/2024/07/kazakhstan-bolsters-foreign-university-partnerships-promotes-academic-research/
The Astana Times. (2025, August). Kozybayev University students study in US under dual-degree program. https://astanatimes.com/2025/08/kozybayev-university-students-study-in-us-under-dual-degree-program/
Univision. (n.d.). 6B05102 Биотехнология в СКУ им. М. Козыбаева. Retrieved July 7, 2026, from https://univision.kz/edu-program/62187.html
WENR. (2021, July). Education in Kazakhstan. World Education News + Reviews. https://wenr.wes.org/2021/07/education-in-kazakhstan
Zahid, G., & Neary, S. (2023). Faculty members’ perceptions of internationalization of curriculum: Globalization and localization, a comparative study. Asian Education and Development Studies, 12(2–3), 166–180. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-03-2023-0024
Zhubanov University. (2025, January 16). Electrical and electronic systems. https://zhubanov.edu.kz/en/campus_hw/category/14/
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Scientific and analytical journal "Higher school of Kazakhstan"
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
