Abstract
This article examines the relationship between the quality of PhD programmes and the institutional maturity of universities in Kazakhstan. Drawing on official national data for 2021–2024 and on international frameworks in doctoral education and research supervision, the study analyses doctoral admissions, dissertation defences, completion patterns, and the institutional conditions shaping programme quality. The findings reveal a widening gap between the expansion of PhD programmes and the institutional capacity required to sustain effective supervision, research environments, and ethical governance. The article argues that doctoral quality depends less on regulation alone than on universities’ managerial and organisational ability to embed doctoral training within active research ecosystems. It concludes that the sustainable development of PhD programmes in Kazakhstan requires stronger institutional concentration, structured support for supervisors, more systematic progress monitoring, and fuller integration of research ethics into internal quality assurance.