Legal Notice 75 of 2009 – Malta Government Gazette No. 18,392 – 20 March 2009
Amended by:
Legal Notice 297 of 2009 – Malta Government Gazette No. 18,498 – 23 October 2009 |
EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327) Bye-Laws of 2009 in terms of the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the Degree of Master of Education under the auspices of the Faculty of Education IN exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 74 (5) and 75 (6) of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has promulgated the following bye-laws made by the Board of the Faculty of Education in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by section 81 (1) of the said Act and which have been approved by the Senate of the University of Malta as required by section 81 (2) of the said Act:
Citation and Interpretation 1. (1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws of 2009 in terms of the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the degree
of Master of Education under the auspices of the Faculty of Education.
(2) In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires:-
"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Education;
"the Course" means the programme of study leading to the degree of Master of Education M.Ed;
"the Degree" means the degree of Master of Education M.Ed.;
"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008.
Applicability 2. These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October 2008 or later.
Areas of Study 3. The Course shall be offered in any area of study that falls within the academic responsibility of the Board, after approval by Senate.
Requirements for Admission 4. (1) Subject to the conditions laid down in bye-law 5, the Course shall be open to applicants in possession of one of the following qualifications:
(a) a degree in Education with at least second class honours from this University or a degree from another university recognized as equivalent for the purpose; or
(b) any other degree with at least second class honours together with a recognized teaching qualification; or
(c) a degree in Education or a Teacher's Certificate together with at least five years' teaching experience and other suitable qualifications obtained following the degree or after the Teacher's Certificate; or
(d) any first cycle degree with either a recognized teaching qualification or Diploma in Education together with five years' experience in an education setting.
Applicable for courses commencing in October 2011 or later:
4. (1) Subject to the conditions laid down in bye-law 5, the Course shall be open to applicants in possession of one of the following qualifications:
(a) a degree in Education with at least second class honours from this University or a degree from another university recognised as equivalent for the purpose together with a minimum of one year’s teaching experience; or
(b) any other degree with at least second class honours together with a recognised teaching or education qualification and a minimum of one year’s teaching experience; or
(c) a degree in Education or a Teacher’s Certificate together with at least five years’ teaching experience and other suitable qualifications obtained following the degree or after the Teacher’s Certificate; or (d) any first cycle degree with either a recognised teaching qualification or a Diploma in Education together with five years’ experience in an education setting.
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(2) Depending on the availability of resources, the Board shall determine the number of applicants that may be allowed to register. The Board shall announce the areas of study, the number of available places, and the criteria for selection of applicants at the time of the call for applications.
Preparatory Programme 5. (1) Applicants for registration under paragraphs (c) or (d) of bye-law 4(1) shall be required to attend an interview during which they shall be requested to provide evidence of prior experiential learning and to demonstrate that they are capable of completing the Course and may be required to complete a preparatory programme.
(2) The preparatory programme shall comprise study-units to which not less than 30 credits and not more than 60 credits are assigned as directed by the Board, obtained with an average mark of 55% or better, prior to their registration to the Course.
(3) Preparatory programmes shall also be governed by the Principal Regulations.
Course Duration 6. The Course shall extend over three semesters of full-time studies or the equivalent in part-time.
Programme of Study 7. The programme of study shall comprise study-units to which a total of 90 credits shall be assigned.
8. (1) The programme of study for any area of study offered in the Course may be either mainly taught or mainly by research.
(2) (a) Mainly taught programmes of study shall comprise taught study-units to which a total of 60 credits are assigned and a dissertation study-unit to which 30 credits are assigned.
(b) Students who obtain 60 credits assigned to the taught study-units with an average mark of at least 50% and do not proceed with the Course, or having proceeded do not successfully complete the dissertation, shall be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in the relevant area of study.
(3) Mainly research programmes of study shall comprise taught study-units to which 30 credits are assigned and a dissertation study-unit to which 60 credits are assigned.
(4) Programmes of study shall be published by the Board after approval by Senate normally not less than eight months prior to the commencement of the Course and shall indicate clearly the bye-laws in terms of which they are being offered.
Assessment and Progress 9. (1) The assessment of each taught study-unit shall be completed by the end of the semester in which the teaching of the study unit is held.
(2) Students who fail in the assessment of not more than 20 credits, if following the full-time course, or not more than 10 credits if following the part-time course, shall be given the opportunity to re-sit the failed assessment during the September supplementary examination session.
(3) Students who fail more than the number of study-units permitted under paragraph 2 of this bye-law, or students who after re-assessment fail to obtain credit for any study-unit, shall be required to withdraw from the Course.
Dissertations 10. (1) In mainly taught programmes of study, students shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of not more than 15,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board. The dissertation must also satisfy the Board as regards content and presentation.
(2) Work on the dissertation shall be undertaken during the third semester of the Course. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor who shall provide guidance and advice on a regular basis during the period of study.
(3) Students will be allowed to proceed to the third semester of the Course only if they achieve a 55% average by the end of the second semester.
(4) A provisional title for the dissertation and a detailed research proposal shall be submitted to the Board for approval by the beginning of the second semester.
11. (1) In programmes of study mainly by research, students shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of approximately 35,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board. The dissertation must also satisfy the Board as regards content and presentation.
(2) Work on the dissertation may be undertaken throughout the Course after approval of the proposal. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor who shall provide guidance and advice on a regular basis during the period of study.
12. In all cases students shall be required to have regular contact with their supervisor, who shall submit to the Board progress reports for the students under their supervision at the end of each semester of studies, whether the student is following the course full-time or part-time. Such reports may include recommendations to either (a) extend the period of study in order to enable the student to complete the dissertation; or (b) terminate studies prematurely if the supervisor deems this to be proper in the circumstances, provided that:
(i) the extension of the study period referred to in (a) shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Principal Regulations; and
(ii) the Board may not terminate studies prematurely according to (b) until it has first given the student a chance to be heard.
Classification of the Awards 13. The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the classification of the Postgraduate Diploma and the Degree shall be based on the results obtained in all the components of the programme of study, all credits being weighted equally.
Special Provisions for Part-Time Courses 14. The provisions of the foregoing bye-laws shall apply
mutatis mutandis to courses followed on a part-time basis
, and subject to such changes as may reasonably be deemed by the relevant Board as necessary due to the part-time nature of the Course.
Repeal 15. The Regulations of 2006 for the degree of Master of Education published as Legal Notice 121 of 2006 as amended by Legal Notice 257 of 2007, shall be deemed to cease to be in force as from 1 October 2008, provided that students registered for this course before 1 October 2008 shall continue to be governed by the regulations that were in force at the time of their joining the course.
