Nurpeissova, A.Almukhambetova, A.Makhmutova, A.Soltanbekova, A.Mukhamejanova, D.Tolesh, F.Smanova, G.Karabassova, L.Tazabek, Sh.Jumagulova, T.Tursunbayeva, X.2015-11-052015-11-0520149786018046728http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/781The Graduate School of Education was launched in 2012. Its PhD program is designed for students, who "are committed to taking a leadership role in educational reform and management in Kazakhstan" (NU website). In 2014 eleven students were selected and offered a state scholarship. Within the course on Advanced Methods of Educational Research, the 1s t year PhD students conducted a small scale research to address two research questions, namely to understand the reasons behind PhD students" desire to pursue post-graduate education at Nazarbayev University, Graduate School of Education (NUGSE), and their career expectations upon the completion of the program.enPhD studentscareer expectationsmethodsqualitative researchwork experienceAbstract