Undergraduate Programme

UCA's School of Arts and Sciences offers an undergraduate programme that cultivates the knowledge and skills students need to integrate different approaches to solve problems and create innovations in their professional and personal life.

Our unique approach to learning combines:

• A broad-based liberal arts and sciences education that builds critical thinking, analytic and technical skills across disciplines;
• Undergraduate curriculum designed in partnership with top tier global universities in growing industry fields; and
• Hands-on learning providing theoretical and practical knowledge that can be applied to real-world issues.
• High quality English-language education, inside and outside of the classroom.

The purpose of the Bachelor’s Programme at UCA is to offer world-class education of the highest international standard that would provide the students with the knowledge, values and tools to become important actors in their societies.

The Objectives of the Undergraduate Programme are to:

1. Become a model of excellence and academic quality and integrity throughout Central Asia;
2. Develop independent thinking, critical analysis and ethical judgement that prepare graduates for responsible citizenship in their countries, the region, and the world;
3. Create generalists who understand major issues, debates, and methods of inquiry in the humanities, social sciences, science and technology, and the challenges facing Central Asia and its neighbours;
4. Ensure that graduates are equal to the world’s best in the areas of concentration (majors) that the programmes offer;
5. Enable graduates to both fill and create jobs in Central Asia and beyond – whether in the public or private sector; and
6. Prepare graduates for advanced study and research at the best institutions around the world.

Your UCA Academic Pathway

At UCA, you will have the opportunity to graduate with a major and minor. After five years, you will graduate with either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc). UCA is the first university in Central Asia to offer integrative majors and minors. The language of instruction for UCA’s undergraduate programmes is exclusively English.

You can attend any of the University's three residential campuses in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan; Khorog, Tajikistan; and Tekeli, Kazakhstan (anticipated 2022), based on the major and minor you select. Depending on your selected area of study, you have the opportunity to spend at least one semester at another campus.

Through our Co-operative Education Programme, you will also have the opportunity to gain work experience through internships with leading companies.

In the case of exceptional academic and non-academic achievements, students may be eligible and recommended by the Selection Committee for direct enrolment to the second year, provided that they pass pre-calculus test after admission.

Meet the Faculty

Academic Partners

As part of UCA's five-year undergraduate programme, students complete an intensive preparatory programme year, developed in partnership with Seneca College in Toronto, Canada. UCA's curriculum is developed in partnership with the University of Toronto, Canada (Computer Science), University of British Columbia, Canada (Earth and Environmental Sciences), the National Research University's Higher School of Economics, Moscow and Stockholm School of Economics/Riga, Latvia (Economics) and the University of Technology Sydney, Australia (Communications and Media). UCA has also partnered with the University of Victoria, Canada to develop an innovative co-operative education programme.

UCA offers a structured five-year undergraduate programme, including:

• Preparatory, cross-disciplinary, liberal arts and prerequisite courses
• Six specialisations or majors (which can also be chosen as a minor)
• Co-operative Education Programme

PREPARATORY PROGRAMME

In your first year of study in UCA's five-year undergraduate programme, all students enrol in the University's Preparatory Programme. The programme includes English, mathematics and science courses and is designed to ensure you have the necessary foundational skills and knowledge to succeed in a rigorous, English-language academic environment with international standards.

 

UCA'S UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS

Computer Science, BSc
Are you interested in technology and being part of an emerging regional industry? Do you want to develop skills and capabilities to face challenges of today’s state of the art technology? Do you want to use software, hardware, and mathematics to enter the world of technology, start your own business or pursue study at a higher level? Do you want to learn about the emerging field of Computer Science in Central Asia, taught by experienced and renowned faculty? If so, UCA's Computer Science programme is for you.

Communications & Media, BA
Are you a natural storyteller and networker? Do you want to connect your home towns and communities to the world? Would you like to make your mark in narratives representing Central Asia? Do you want to be an agent of change in the region through evolving media technology and discourses? Are you creative, with a passion for languages? If so, UCA's Communications and Media programme is for you.

Earth & Environmental Sciences, BSc
Are you passionate about the environment? Do you see opportunities to improve environmental practices? Are you committed to protecting the unique resources of Central Asia? Do you enjoy applying scientific concepts to real world problems? If so, UCA's Earth and Environmental Sciences programme is for you.

Economics, BA
Are you interested in a career in economic policy that contributes to Central Asia's growth and development? Do you aspire to be a socially impactful entrepreneur? Are you interested in the analytical tools that firms use to make business decisions? Do you want to help find solutions to global economic challenges, such as poverty, rising inequality, and environmental degradation? If so, UCA's Economics programme is for you.

Engineering Sciences, BSc (anticipated in 2022)
Do you enjoy problem-solving and making things work? Or work better? Do you see possibilities in applying scientific concepts to real world problems? Are you open to exploring various solutions to big problems? Do you enjoy creating things? If so, UCA's Engineering Sciences programme is for you.

Business & Management, BA (anticipated in 2022)
Do you want to become a leader in the world of business? Do you already have ideas for your own business? Do you want to learn skills to enhance economic development in Central Asia? If so, UCA's Business and Management programme is for you.

CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMME

UCA's Co-operative Education Programme is a work integrated learning programme where students apply in-class learning to real life professional experiences within the field of study across private, public, and community-based sectors. This programme offers paid and unpaid internships and prepares students for both academic and career success beyond university.

UCA's Co-op Programme has been developed in partnership with the University of Victoria, Canada.

The programme is mandatory for UCA undergraduate students. It is an innovative immersion initiative that creates opportunities for students to experience the working world, domestically and internationally, via structured job placements in three consecutive summers during your five-year university education. Learning takes place throughout the process, from seeking employment, to learning valuable interpersonal skills and on the job training, as well as participating in field studies and jointly conducting student development evaluations.

> Learn more about UCA's Cooperative Education Programme

Research Opportunities
You will benefit from unprecedented access to the research experts, facilities and data of UCA's established research institutes and learning centres. These will complement your academic programmes and provide you with unique learning opportunities, including: research opportunities; opportunities for joint publications with leading scholars; preparation for graduate work; exposure to leading scholars from around the world; the use of scientific methods across disciplines; and knowledge creation.