General Information

The name of the university is derived from Charles the Great (Charlemagne). Already his contemporaries called him "the Great". Even today Charles the Great (742-814) is respected as a dominant historic sovereign and ruler. He was forwardlooking in his activities and ideas, in military, political and economic matters, promoting science, arts and education but also preserving culture and tradition. Being not only the King of the Franks and the Langobards but also the first Roman-German Emperor, Charles the Great succeeded in uniting many European territories from North to South and from West to East to a huge empire, which was a pillar of Christianity and an important starting point for a modern Europe. Therefore, he is a symbol of progress and success and a pioneer of Europe.The Carolus Magnus University (CMU) looks at Charlemagne as a beacon of strength and follow his example in its efforts to promote scientific and economic progress and to build bridges from Europe to the whole world.

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Our motto reads: “Distance Education for a Better Future – Tradition and Progress”. The CMU, located in Brussels, combines the heritage of European culture, knowledge and science with the efficient modern forms of American performance. The CMU offers a solid foundation and security. Reliability is guaranteed through the involvement of the university in adult education and collaboration with colleges, universities, and research institutes around the world.

The CMU is strongly committed to the principles of academic freedom and unlimited exchange of ideas. It stands for open minded, comprehensive and critical thinking. As a fully independent private university, our mission is encouraging and promoting higher education to develop a spirit of inquiry in the student body. The CMU holds itself to the high standards of academic achievement and pledges to provide unsurpassed knowledge base and research through a body of expert academics and professionals forming the structure of the university promoting scholarly excellence and the use of state of the art instructional infrastructure and training.

The CMU was founded by an international consortium, headed by the European Economic Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry, Brussels. The CMU is admitted in the USA and registered in Brussels as the centre of an international network of academic co-operation with state universities and private education institutions to offer courses of higher education and confer degrees. Its denomination has been protected by registration at the EU Office for the Harmonisation of the Single Market in Alicante/Spain. The CMU is recognised by the independent Accreditation Council (AEACAE) for the United States and Europe.
The CMU with its legal status of an open university is dedicated to adult academic and professional education programs. According to the Bologna Process, CMU offers the following study programmes, ensuring high quality education:

Bachelor programme “Business Administration” – with the final degree “Bachelor of Arts” (B. A.)
Master programme “Security Studies” – with the final degree “Master of Arts” (M. A.)
Master programme “European Studies” – with the final degree “Master of Arts” (M. A.)
Master programme “General Management” – with the final degree “Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Doctoral programme „Social and Economic Sciences“ – with the final degree „Philosophiae Doctor“ (Ph. D. or Dr./within the European Union).

The open status of CMU allows the use of flexible delivery methods that embrace current and valid methodologies of distance learning, Online learning, blended learning, and recognition of prior studies and experience. The CMU also feels committed to the validation of non-formal and informal learning in the framework of lifelong learning.

The study programmes consist of individualised instruction to assist the student to familiarise with current literature and knowledge flexibility and efficiency to achieve competency and success. The lecture notes, books and scientific literature will be distributed to the students in a strategic pedagogical order. Learners need to work with their supervisor and tutors through their lecture notes to answer the examination questions.

All professors/lecturers teaching the programmes are qualified by definition of the generally acknowledged quality assurance procedure for higher education. They have successfully completed the different levels of qualification (Bachelor, Licentiate Degree, Master, PhD and postdoctoral qualification) and been appointed on this basis. Furthermore they have distinguished themselves in their respective fields of expertise through research work and scientific publications, and have, in co-operation with companies and other organisations, proved their competence in the practical context. The Academic Senate is formed by experienced professors, scientists and professionals.

To promote teaching and research, the CMU has established fruitful academic co-operation with a number of higher education providers world-wide and offers distance learning full time programmes in various countries including Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia. Further, there are many connections between the CMU and famous internationally operating companies, public bodies and authorities, federations, associations, and representations of interests.

Charter and Statutes

The members for the time being of the convocation, the senate, and the university, the graduates of the university, the students of the university, the rector, the advisors to the rector, the administrative director and the heads of schools of the university for the time being and all others who shall pursuant to this our charter and the statutes of the university for the time being be members of the university are hereby constituted and from henceforth for ever shall be one body politic and corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal by the name and style of CMU.

The objects of the CMU shall be to advance, disseminate and apply learning and knowledge by teaching and research for the benefit of industry, commerce and public institutions and of the community generally and to enable students to obtain the advantage of a university education. Such teaching and research may include periods outside the university in industry, commerce and public institutions or wherever the university considers proper for the best advancement of its objects.

The CMU shall be both a teaching and an examining body and in furtherance of its objects it shall subject to this our charter and the statutes have the following powers:

To prescribe in its ordinances or regulations the requirements for matriculation and the conditions under which persons may be admitted to the CMU or to any particular course of study.
To provide instruction in such branches of learning as the CMU may think fit and to make provision for research and for the advancement, dissemination and application of knowledge in such manner as the CMU may determine.
To confer and grant under conditions laid down in its statutes or ordinances, degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions on and to persons who shall have pursued a course of study approved by the CMU and shall have passed the examinations or other tests prescribed by the CMU.
To confer degrees on members of the academic and other staff of the university, under conditions prescribed in the statutes, ordinances or regulations.
To confer honorary degrees or other distinctions on approved persons; provided that all degrees and other distinctions shall be conferred and held subject to any provisions which are or may be made in reference thereto by the statutes or ordinances. On what the CMU shall deem to be good cause to deprive persons of any degrees, diplomas, certificates or other distinctions conferred on or granted to them by the CMU.
To provide such lectures and instruction for persons not members of the CMU and to grant diplomas and certificates to such persons as the CMU may determine.
To accept the examinations passed and periods of study spent by students of the CMU at or in connection with other universities or places of learning as equivalent to such examinations and periods of study in the university as the CMU may determine and to withdraw such acceptance at any time.
To affiliate other institutions, public or industrial or research bodies, or branches or departments thereof, to recognise for any purpose, and either in whole or in part, any such institution or body or selected members of the staffs thereof as teachers of the CMU and to admit particular members thereof to any of the privileges of the CMU, to accept attendance at courses of study in such institutions, bodies, branches or departments thereof in place of such part of the attendance at courses of study in the CMU and upon such terms and conditions and subject to such regulations as may from time to time be determined by the CMU and to admit the students or any particular students thereof to membership of the CMU and any or all of the privileges of such membership which shall include eligibility for degrees and diplomas.
To co-operate by means of joint boards or otherwise with university and other authorities for such purposes as the CMU may from time to time determine.
To enter into any agreement for the incorporation within the CMU of any other institution and for taking over its rights, property and liabilities and for any other purpose not repugnant to this our charter.
To institute professorships, readerships and lectureships, and any other offices of any kind and whether academic or not as the purposes of the CMU may require; to appoint persons to and remove them from such offices, and to prescribe their conditions of service.
To institute and award fellowships, scholarships, studentships, exhibitions, bursaries and prizes and other such awards.
To prescribe rules for the discipline of students of the CMU. To establish and maintain and to administer and govern institutions for the residence of students whether colleges, halls or houses and to licence and supervise such institutions and other places of residence whether or not maintained by the University.
To make provision for research and advisory services and with these objects to enter into such arrangements with other institutions and with industry and commerce and with public bodies and persons, as the CMU may determine.
To provide for the printing, reproduction and publication of research and other works. To sell or to provide for reward or otherwise such books, stationery, electronic goods, computer software and other goods and services as may be deemed expedient.
To demand and receive fees.
To take such steps as may from time to time be deemed expedient for the purpose of procuring contributions to the funds of the CMU, and to raise money in such other manner as the CMU may deem fit.
To give guarantees to building societies and banks whether in pursuance of continuing arrangements or not.
To act as trustee or manager of any property, legacy, endowment, bequest or gift for purposes of education or research or otherwise in furtherance of the work and welfare of the CMU, and to invest any funds representing the same in accordance with the provisions of the statutes annexed to this our charter.
To do all such other acts and things including the promotion of a Bill or Bills in Parliament whether incidental to the powers aforesaid or not as may be requisite in order to further the objects of the University.

There shall be an academic senate of the university (herein referred to as the “senate”) which shall, subject to our charter and statutes, be the executive governing body of the university, and shall have the custody and use of the common seal, and shall be responsible for the management and administration of the revenue and property of the university and shall, subject to the powers of the senate as provided in this our charter and the statutes, have general control over the conduct of the affairs of the CMU and shall have all such other powers and duties as may be conferred upon it by the charter and statutes. The academic senate of the CMU shall furthermore appoint the rector, and shall receive an annual report on the working of the CMU from the administrative director.

There shall be a rector of the CMU, who shall be the chief officer of the university and shall preside over meetings of its convocation.

There shall be an administrative director of the CMU. Subject to our charter and statutes the administrative director shall, during a vacancy in the office of rector, or in the absence of the rector, perform all the functions and duties of the rector except that of conferring degrees.

There shall be such other officers of the CMU as the academic senate may from time to time ordain.

There shall be such schools, institutes, delegacies, faculties, departments, sections, or other such bodies as may from time to time be determined under the statutes or ordinances. There shall be a head of each school and a school board for each school.

Subject to the provisions of this our charter and the statutes, the academic senate respectively may from time to time make regulations for governing the proceedings of the bodies named in this our charter and for the purpose of carrying out the objects of the CMU, and the power to make regulations shall include the power to add to, amend or repeal any regulations theretofore made.
The statutes may direct that any of the matters prescribed or regulated by statute as authorised or directed in this our charter shall be further prescribed or regulated by ordinance, regulation or by decision made by the senate; provided that any such further prescription or regulation shall not be repugnant to the provisions of the statutes and this our charter.

The CMU shall not make a dividend, gift, division or bonus in money unto or between any of its members except by way of prize, reward or special grant.
No religious, racial or political test shall be imposed upon any person in order to entitle him or her to be admitted as a member of the CMU or hold office therein or to graduate thereat or to hold any advantage or privilege thereof.

Men and women shall be equally eligible for any office or appointment in the CMU and for membership of the CMU or of any of its constituent bodies and all degrees and courses of study in the CMU shall be open to men and women alike.

This charter shall remain in force until it has been amended, added to or repealed in the manner hereinafter prescribed.