Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University

Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University
Universitatea Creștină "Dimitrie Cantemir"
Location Bucharest, Romania
Website www.ucdc.ro/

Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University (Universitatea Creștină "Dimitrie Cantemir") is a Romanian private University located in Bucharest.

Media coverage

The Romanian newspaper Gândul has reported that the Christian University "Dimitrie Cantemir" from Bucharest started 34 Master's degree curricula which have no legal ground.[1][2][3] According to the rector of the University, Mrs. Corina Dumitrescu, the law has a loophole, since it uses a continuous present for institutional evaluation, which is uncharacteristic of the Romanian language.[1][2] She says that in her opinion institutional evaluation (required by law) may also happen after the curricula have been taught. The actual wording in Romanian is "universitate acreditată supusă periodic evaluării instituţionale", and Dumitrescu argues that "care se supun" means that an accredited institution can be evaluated "today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" (and presumably, any time), not that it needs to have been evaluated in the past.[1][2] For the study year 2010-2011, 16 Master's curricula from nine of its faculties are listed as accredited in Order no. 4630/2010 of the Department of Education.[4]

On February 10, 2011[5] have to have been stopped any specializations and curricula which are neither accredited nor temporarily authorized, according to Art. 361 paragraph 4 of the Law of National Education.[6] The continuation of such curricula causes the liquidation of the university and the criminal responsibility for those guilty of breaking the law.[6]

According to the newspaper Gândul, the situation of those who graduated unaccredited and unauthorized studies will be decided in September, following a project drawn up by ARACIS and consulting the National Rectors' Council.[7] The Minister of Education, Daniel Petru Funeriu recognized that it applies to several universities and that his department does not have the right to cancel diplomas.[7]

Nonetheless, as a result of thoroughly internal educational assessment, Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University has been offered by ARACIS in 2010 the Certificate of High Trust Degree "Grad de încredere ridicată", the highest qualification awarded in Romania to a higher education institution.[8] The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) is the highest official authority entitled to assess, authorize and accredit higher education institutions in Romania. In 2011, the Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University has been officially evaluated by The European Association of Universities as "education-centered university",[9] which means that the educational process focuses more on education than on research and high research. The "education-centered university" category is the third and lowest educational quality category of the Romanian universities.[9] Education centered universities have lost the right of organizing new Master's and doctorate degrees studies.[9]

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External links

Coordinates: 44°24′53″N 26°06′55″E / 44.414613°N 26.115257°E