The thesis of his 1962 Doctor of Philosophy (Columbia Unibersity) was "Antinihilism in the Russian Novel of the 1860s". During 1958-1959 he studied at Leningrad State University, as part of the first graduate student exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union.
As a literary critic he is known for his interests in Russian and Bulgarian literatures and cultures. In 1956 Charles Moser earned his Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) in Slavic Languages from Yale University. In 1958 he earned his Master of Arts in Slavic Languages from Columbia University.
After teaching at Yale (1960-1967), he joined the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the George Washington University, where he was chairman during 1969-1974 and 1980-1989.
He founded and cofounded an number of organizations, including University Professors for Academic Order(1970), Committee for a Free Afghanistan, and Freedom League. In 1986 and 1987 President Ronald Reagan nominated Charles Moser for membership on the National Council for the Humanities, however the nominations were rejected by the Senate.
In 1992, in Bulgaria, Moser founded the Free Initiative Foundation, to promote the transition of Bulgaria to democracy.
His political views are described as conservative.
