mission statement

Mission Statement Karlshochschule International University

What do we stand for?

We act on the assumption of the educational ideal of an educated young person with multifaceted interests, who

•  is willing to assume responsibility, •  believes that leadership is an opportunity to serve others and society,

•  is capable of changing his/her point of view and questioning his/her own construction of reality,

•  on the basis of sound know-how and a broad academic education, is able to look

"behind the scenes" of what seems to be self-evident, •  is willing to cross inner and outer borders and open to new and foreign

experiences and, thus, in the spirit of life-long learning, has acquired the ability of independently developing his/her personality.

We act on the assumption of the ideal of a professor by vocation, who •  takes an interest in this development of students (beyond their graduation),

supports and challenges them, •  is passionate about performance and excellent teaching and communicates this to

the students, •  considers the university not so much as a place where instructions are provided but

rather a place where individual learning experiences and the development of

competencies are enabled, •  is curious and interested in interdisciplinary exchange with colleagues and in

interdisciplinary research, •  enjoys innovation and experiments and •  is willing to perceive the didactic and methodological challenge of communicating

experience and knowledge as a joint construction of reality between teacher and student and, at the same time, as an opportunity for his/her further development.


We act on the assumption of the ideal of a university that - literally - considers itself a service provider for the students, the economy and society, that, through

its competitive orientation, seismographically detects developments and trends and integrates them into its research and teaching - thus becoming a

marketplace for the requirements of those who have a demand for education on the one hand and the requirements of those who have a demand for qualified employees on the other.


Our academic profile is characterized by our cognitive interest in economic and entrepreneurial activity. We assume that economic reality is constructed and staged by

the actors through ascription, interpretation and negotiation of sense and meaning and that economic interactions are culturally and socially "hyperformed". In addition to

quantitative research, qualitative research methods are particularly important. In this spirit, we pursue an interpretative approach to economics.

Our academic profile

Over the last decades, this approach has developed into an innovative and promising field of economics, since it looks at the subject matters of sub-

disciplines in the field of economics from a new point of view. In this context, economic science draws on theoretical concepts inspired by social sciences, such

as (micro)sociology, cultural anthropology as well as from linguistics and communication sciences, and creates a new understanding of economy and society.


We qualify young people for management and leadership functions in business and society. This includes, in addition to cognitive-theoretical

knowledge ("rules") and instrumental knowledge ("tools"), orientative knowledge. Orientative knowledge is the knowledge of ethically justified

ends and goals. Orientative knowledge results from the construction of sense. Orientative knowledge means culture, reflected life. In this context, we are characterized by a cultural and constructivist orientation.


We adhere to the principles of academic self-administration and a participatory cooperation of everyone involved in university life. As an academic institution and as

part of the scientific community, we are aware of our responsibility for the transfer of (applied) research to teaching and practice and for the compliance with scientific

standards. In this context, we are prepared to build a profile and to set priorities in line with a quality-oriented further development of the university and for the benefit of its stakeholders.


Qualification goals, contents as well as teaching and learning methods are coordinated with each other and, as integral components of a didactic conception,

offer students the opportunity to assume (leadership) responsibility on an academic level, in their profession as well as in society. The fact that, beyond conveying

knowledge and teaching skills, the teaching staff are mentors for the students, are aware of their responsibility for the development prospects of the students and see themselves as a part of a community of students and teachers contributes to the

above.

Orientation of our teaching

Our didactic approach is characterized by a triad of instruction, construction and reflection in the individual modules and units. With the aid of self-regulated, discovery-

based and playful learning and based on a foundation of concentrated and sound knowledge, the students shall be enabled to make their own learning experiences, to

integrate their knowledge and skills with previous knowledge and experiences and to build their own qualification and competence profile. We seek to enable them to compare their experiences and perspectives with those of others and to critically

question them.


The ability to change one's perspective is an important educational objective of our university. This objective is supported by our interdisciplinary orientation. Learning

contents are to be conveyed from the points of view of various disciplines and, if possible, through an interaction and discourse between representatives of different

disciplines. The disciplinary diversity of the staff is an advantage that was intentionally created. The concept of integrative modules with a standardized module examination requires and supports close interdisciplinary exchange.


By cooperating with the business community, we pursue the strategic goal of integrating theory and practice as much as possible. The strong practical focus is

underlined by the role of the Karlsruhe Chamber of Industry and Commerce as a founding partner and the participation of representatives from the business community

in the university bodies. Our future goal is to further institutionalize the multitude of bilateral and informal cooperation and to increasingly procure third-party funding in the context of research cooperation projects with partner businesses.


We distinguish ourselves by assigning a central role to the personality development of the students - not least with regard to leadership ability. Elements of personality

development and the acquisition of key competences shall be an integral part of all curricula. In doing so, we pursue the strategic goal to individualize our products,

programs and mentoring offers to such an extent that the students can be addressed according to their individual learning types and develop their different talents as well as their personality in an optimum manner. Modern teaching formats such as eLearning

and blended learning shall be used in line with the intention of the individualization strategy.


We consider ourselves an international institution with a cross-cultural orientation. Our internationalization strategy focuses on Central and Eastern Europe, Arab

countries, South-East Asia, Latin America and the Anglo-Saxon countries. We offer the languages of those regions as second foreign language (English: first foreign

language) and organize study programs taught in English as well as study programs where spending time abroad is mandatory. We seek partnerships with comparable universities abroad in order to enable student and academic staff exchanges and

cooperation in the field of research. We make continuous efforts to increase the percentage of foreign professors, guest professors and students. We aim to enhance

the mentoring for and the integration of international students.

Market and society

We believe that, in the performance of our tasks with regard to teaching, studying and researching, we have a special responsibility vis-à-vis our city, the region and

the state of Baden-Württemberg as well as vis-à-vis the people living here and the regional businesses. We seek a trustful cooperation with all groups of society,

businesses and other universities and academic institutions.

We want to contribute to the university's ability to establish and maintain

relationships as well as to regional, national and international networking.

Market and society

As a business owned by a charitable foundation, we compete with other universities for the best talents, ideas and tasks. Our services and programs are

aimed at both, those who have a demand for education and training on the one hand and businesses and institutions on the other. In order to be able to

compete and to assert ourselves as a private, state-accredited university at the interface of the education and labor market we strive for a consistently high quality in our areas of performance which we continually aim to improve. .

Market and society

We are committed to being close to the market. When developing new study programs, we focus on promising industries and sectors with a high demand for

academic professionalization. With the participation of students and representatives of the business community, we assess our curricula on a regular basis with regard to

changing demands in the education and labor market. In this context, we strive for a high degree of innovation in our programs and integrate the topic "Change and Innovation“ into our curricula.

Our offers and target groups are geared to the concept of "lifelong learning". On the one hand this means that we already have offers for gifted pupils and on the other that

(if possible) we continually accompany and coach our graduates and others beyond their first university degree.

Market and society

We work in accordance with the principles of results orientation, customer satisfaction, goal-oriented management, continuous learning, innovation and

continuous improvement and our commitment to the social responsibility of the university. The management of the university is committed to these principles. It

considers itself a service provider that supports the members of the university in the performance of their core tasks in the areas of research, teaching, studying, further education and administration, and requires the acceptance of those being

managed for legitimization.

How do we work together

The behavior and decisions of each of the university executives are measured against the following benchmarks: clarity and consistency, respect and fairness,

sense of proportion and comprehensibility. Each executive shall ask for and provide positive feedback, be willing to accept criticism and to exercise self-criticism, and

actively and continuously work on the improvement of his/her own leadership skills.

We delegate tasks and adhere to the principle of unity of task, competence and

responsibility: The person who has a task has the decision-making authority in this respect and bears the responsibility. We are aware of the objectives of the university

and know how we can contribute to their realization and to the continuous improvement, as individuals, in teams and as a part of the university.

How do we work together

mission statement

Documents