EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327)

Bachelor of Dental Surgery - B.Ch.D. - Degree Course Regulations, 1998

IN exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 30(5) and 31(6) of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has promulgated the following regulations made by the Senate of the University of Malta by virtue of the powers conferred upon it by sections 31 and 35 of the said Act:

Citation and interpretation

1. (1) These regulations may be cited as the Bachelor of Dental Surgery - B.Ch.D. - Degree Course Regulations, 1998.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Dental Surgery;

"the Course" means the Course leading to the Degree; and

"the Degree" means the Degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery - B.Ch.D.

Applicability

2. These regulations shall be applicable to courses starting in October 1998 or later.

Eligibility for Degree

3. To be eligible for the award of the Degree, students must:

(a) be registered as regular students in the Course in terms of the Admission Regulations of the University;

(b) satisfy the Special Course Requirements in accordance with regulation 4;

(c) complete the course of studies, qualify in the examinations and satisfy any other requirements as prescribed in these regulations; and

(d) satisfy any other requirements prescribed in any other relevant statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the University.

Admission and Special Course Requirements

4. (1) Senate, on the advice of the Board, may limit the number of students that may be admitted to the Course. Senate shall make regulations for the selection of applicants for admission.

(2) To apply for admission to the Course candidates must, besides satisfying the requirements for admission as regular students in terms of the Admission Regulations, satisfy the following Special Course Requirements:

(a) passes at Advanced Level obtained at Grade C or better in Chemistry and Biology; and

(b) a pass at Intermediate Level obtained at Grade C or better in Physics in the Matriculation Certificate Examination of the University, or at corresponding levels of other examinations recognised by the Senate for the purpose of the Admission Regulations,

provided that the grades indicated above are obtained together in one session (i.e. one sitting) of the examinations and are from one recognised Examining Board.

Course Duration

5. (1) The Course shall extend over a period of five years.

(2) Except with the permission of the Board, students must follow the Course from admission up to the Final Examination without interruption or repetition. Permission to interrupt or to repeat a year shall normally not be given more than once, except by permission of Senate granted for special reasons.

Programme of Studies

6. The Board shall publish the programme of studies, comprising all the subjects taught in each year of the Course and their syllabus, prior to the commencement of each Course.

Progress Tests

7. (1) The programme of studies shall indicate which subjects shall be assessed by means of a Progress Test.

(2) There shall be a session of the Progress Tests in May/June and a supplementary session in September.

(3) The results of the Progress Test in each subject shall be published according to the following grades in descending order of merit: A, B, C and D. Students whose names do not appear on the list shall be considered to have failed the Progress Test in the subject concerned.

(4) Students shall not be allowed to proceed to the following year of the Course if the Board is not satisfied as a result of the Progress Tests that they have followed the year with profit.

(5) Students who fail in any Progress Test in the supplementary session are not allowed to proceed to the following year of the Course but may be allowed by the Board to repeat the year.

(6) Progress Tests in Behavioural Sciences shall take place at the end of each component of the subject. Assessment is by active participation, assignment and/or take-home test. Failure shall entail repetition of the component in the following year. In the case of failure in the re-assessment, students shall only be allowed to proceed with the Course after obtaining approval from the Board. The Board shall, at its absolute discretion, provide additional tuition for the students prior to a final re-assessment.

Examinations during the Course

8. (1) Examinations shall be held as follows:

(a) First B.Ch.D. Examination in:
- Anatomy
- Physiology and Biochemistry

(b) Second B.Ch.D. Examination in:
- Preventive and Community Dentistry (including Practice Management)
- Clinical Medical Sciences

(c) Final B.Ch.D. Examination in:
- Restorative Dentistry
- Oral Medicine, Oral Surgery and Oral Pathology
- Child Dental Health and Orthodontics.

(2) Before being allowed to sit for any of the examinations specified in paragraph (1) of this regulation, students must present to the Dean a certificate, signed by the heads of department concerned, showing that they have completed satisfactorily the schedule of practical and clinical work prescribed for the year.

The First and Second B.Ch.D. Examinations

9. (1) The First B.Ch.D. Examination shall be held in June at the end of the second year of the Course and a supplementary session shall be held in September.

(2) The Second B.Ch.D. Examination shall be held as follows:

(a) in Clinical Medical Sciences in June at the end of the third year of the Course and the supplementary session in September; and
(b) in Preventive and Community Dentistry (including Practice Management) in June at the end of the fourth year of the Course and the supplementary session in September

(3) The results of students in each subject of the First and Second B.Ch.D. Examinations shall be published in a list in alphabetical order according to the following grades in descending order of merit: A, B, C and D. Students whose names do not appear on the list shall be considered to have failed the examination in the subject concerned.

(4) The result of the examination in each subject shall take into account all parts of the examination in that subject.

(5) Students who fail the First B.Ch.D. Examination are not allowed to proceed to the following year of the Course but may be allowed by the Board to repeat the second year of the Course.

(6) Students who fail the Second B.Ch.D. Examination are not allowed to proceed to the following year of the Course but may be allowed by the Board to repeat the third year of the Course.

(7) Students shall not be allowed to sit for the First or the Second B.Ch.D. Examination in terms of paragraphs (5) and (6) of this regulation more than once.

The Final B.Ch.D. Examination

10. (1) The Final B.Ch.D. Examination shall be held in June at the end of the fifth year of the Course.

(2) There shall be a supplementary session of the examination in September for students referred in one subject only, and in the following January for students who fail in more than one subject.

(3) The examination in each of the subjects prescribed in sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph (1) of regulation 8 shall consist of the following:

- two three-hour papers in Restorative Dentistry
- two three-hour papers in Oral Medicine, Oral Surgery and Oral Pathology
- one three-hour paper in Child Dental Health and Orthodontics.

Result

11. (1) The names of students who have passed in each subject of the Final B.Ch.D. Examination shall be published in a list in alphabetical order according to the following grades in descending order of merit: A, B, C and D.

(2) The names of students who have passed the Final B.Ch.D. Examination at the first session shall be published in another list in alphabetical order in the following two categories:

- Passed with Distinction
- Passed.

Exceptional performance in a subject shall be indicated on the list.

(3) The result shall take into account the performance of the students throughout the Course.

(4) The names of students who are successful in the examination sessions as prescribed in paragraph (2) of regulation 10 shall be published in a simple Pass List in alphabetical order.

Progress

12. (1) A list shall also be published indicating the names of students who are referred in any subject/s as well as the subject/s in which they have been referred.

(2) Students who are referred in a subject/s in the Final B.Ch.D. Examination may sit for the supplementary session in that subject/s as prescribed in paragraph (2) of regulation 10. If successful, their names shall be included in the list of those who have passed the Final B.Ch.D. Examination. If they fail, they shall be deemed to have failed the Final B.Ch.D. Examination as a whole.

13. Students shall not be allowed to re-sit the Final B.Ch.D. Examination, in whole or in part, unless they have satisfactorily followed such courses of studies and/or practical and/or clinical work as the Board may in each case determine.

14. Students who do not pass the Final B.Ch.D. Examination in the two sessions as prescribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of regulation 10 may be allowed by the Board to re-join the fifth year of the Course at the next occasion and to sit for the Final B.Ch.D. Examination again at the end of that year, under such conditions as the Board may in each case determine. Such students may not qualify for a `Passed with Distinction'.

15. Students shall not be allowed to sit for the Final B.Ch.D. Examination in terms of regulation 14 more than once.