History and General Information

Department of "Religious Studies"

Kamalova Feride Bolatkyzy ((PhD (doctor of philosophy), senior educator)) Head of the Department Address: Turkestan , B.Sattarkhanov Avenue, 29  Department of "Religious Studies", 1st building office 327 Phone number: 8(72533) -6-36-36 ( iski 11-39) Е-mail: feride.kamalova@ayu.edu.kz

The department is one of the first established in our university.  In the 2021-2022 academic year, in connection with the creation of a new theological faculty, the Department of Religious Studies was again established.

The Department of Religious Studies teaches the subject “Yasavi Studies” across all educational programs. In addition, the department trains specialists under the educational programs 6B02228 – Religious Studies and 7M02211 – Religious Studies.

Currently, the department employs 14 academic staff members, including 1 Doctor of Science, 1 professor from Turkey, 2 associate professors (docents), 1 Candidate of Science, 3 PhD holders, 3 senior lecturers, 2 lecturers with master’s degrees, and 1 practicing specialist. The department’s faculty members attend professional development courses each academic year to enhance their pedagogical skills.

The goal of the department is to form a model of continuous national education under the programs 6B02228 – Religious Studies and 7M02211 – Religious Studies, to compare it with international educational programs in the global academic space in accordance with the requirements of the individual and society; to foster patriotism, respect for different cultures and traditions; to promote universal human and socio-personal values; to develop ecological, ethical, legal, physical, and intellectual culture; to ensure high mobility of graduates in the ever-changing labor market; and to prepare specialists capable of harmonious functioning in state-confessional relations.

Main Objectives of the Department:

1. Improvement of the Educational Process: To organize the educational process for the 6B02228 – “Religious Studies” and 7M02211 – “Religious Studies” programs in accordance with modern requirements, introduce innovative teaching technologies, and continuously enhance the educational and methodological base.
2. Development of International Experience and Academic Mobility: To conduct comparative analyses with Religious Studies programs of leading universities in the global educational space, implement joint scientific projects, and ensure academic mobility for both faculty and students.
3. Patriotic and Spiritual-Moral Education: To foster in students a spirit of patriotism, respect for national cultural heritage and historical traditions, and to promote spiritual and moral development of the individual.
4. Strengthening Intercultural and Interfaith Tolerance: To cultivate respect for different cultures and religious traditions, promoting the principles of harmony and mutual understanding within society.
5. Development of Universal and Socio-Personal Values: To nurture such qualities in students as responsibility, humanism, justice, diligence, and mutual respect.
6. Formation of Ecological, Ethical, and Legal Culture: To develop a responsible attitude toward nature, society, and humanity, and to foster adherence to the norms of professional ethics and legal culture.
7. Enhancement of Physical and Intellectual Culture: To promote a healthy lifestyle, develop critical thinking skills, and strengthen students’ intellectual potential.
8. Ensuring Graduates’ Competitiveness in the Labor Market: To enhance professional competence, creative thinking, and practical skills to ensure high professional mobility of graduates in a constantly changing labor market.
9. Professional Training in the Sphere of State-Confessional Relations: To equip future specialists with the skills necessary for effective interaction between religious organizations and state institutions, and to contribute to the strengthening of interfaith harmony in society.

Educational Activities

Faculty members of the department regularly engage in professional development. The main forms of qualification enhancement include courses, seminars, and training sessions. In the 2024–2025 academic year, the entire faculty completed professional development courses on “Inclusive Education” and “Artificial Intelligence”, thereby improving their professional skills. In the 2025–2026 academic year, newly appointed teachers will also undergo training.

The faculty’s commitment to professional development is directly related to the department’s primary mission — to ensure a high scientific, theoretical, and methodological level of teaching, and to train qualified and creative specialists. Therefore, the department places special emphasis on educational and methodological work, aimed at continuously improving the quality of the educational process, implementing innovative teaching technologies, and organizing quality monitoring of methodological support.

Each year, the department develops and updates textbooks, syllabi, educational and methodological complexes, methodological guidelines, and lecture courses in Kazakh, Russian, and Turkish languages to support the learning process.

In the 2025–2026 academic year, 90 students are studying under the 6B02228 – Religious Studies program. Among them, 66 students are on state grants, 21 are studying under the Turkish quota, and 7 are on a tuition-paying basis.

Under the 7M02211 – Religious Studies program, there are 7 master’s students.

In the 2024–2025 academic year, 13 students graduated from the 6B02228 – Religious Studies program, while 40 students are expected to graduate in 2025–2026. In addition, 4 master’s students will complete the 7M02211 – Religious Studies program.

Overall, the Department of Religious Studies has a total of 97 students.