EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327)

Master in Youth and Community Studies - M. Youth & Com. St. - Degree Course Regulations, 2005

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 Master in Youth and Community Studies - M. Youth & Com. St. - Degree Course Regulations, 2005.

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

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Education;

"the Course" means the course of studies leading to the degree of Master in Youth and Community Studies - M. Youth & Com. St.; and

"the Degree" means the degree of Master in Youth and Community Studies - M. Youth & Com. St.

Applicability

2. These regulations shall apply to courses starting in October 2004 or later.

Qualifications for Admission

3. (1) Applicants for the Course shall be, at the time of applying and for the duration of the Course, engaged and active within a statutory or non-statutory youth work organisation, and in possession of one of the following qualifications:

(a) the B.A. (Hons) degree in Youth and Community Studies with at least Second Class Honours; or

(b) the B.A. degree in Youth and Community Studies with at least Category IIB obtained prior to 2004; or

(c) a degree from this or another university in an area of study that is deemed relevant by the Board, with at least a second class honours, together with a minimum of two years' experience in youth work practice in a youth work oriented agency; or

(d) a Bachelor's degree, other than the qualifications indicated in sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this regulation, that is deemed comparable and relevant by the Board, together with a minimum of four years' experience in youth work practice in a youth work oriented agency.

(2) Applicants satisfying the above requirements shall be requested to attend an interview where, inter alia, they would need to provide certified evidence of the prior experience of youth work practice they claim to have.

Registration for the Course

4. Applicants wishing to register for the Course shall apply on the prescribed form and within the time specified by the Office of the Registrar.

Course Duration

5. The Course shall extend over a period of three years of part-time study. The Board may allow students an extension of one year of study.

Course Programme

6. The Course shall have two components as follows:

(a) a taught component, extending over two years of study, and consisting of compulsory study-units for which 60 credits shall be assigned; and

(b) a research component, extending over one year, which shall lead to the presentation of a dissertation, written under supervision, for which 30 credits shall be assigned.

Programme of Studies and Catalogue of Study-Units

7. (1) The Board shall draw up the programme of studies for the Course which shall indicate the study-units to be followed in each semester and which study-units are compulsory, concurrent or pre-requisites for other study-units. The Board shall publish the programme of studies for the Course prior to its commencement, following the approval of Senate.

(2) The level, code, title, description and type of each study unit, the number of credits assigned to each study-unit, the methods of teaching and assessment, and the lecturer giving the study-unit shall be published in a catalogue of study-units, which shall be published by the Board, following approval by Senate.

Assessment and Progress

8. (1) Study-units shall be assessed at the end of the semester in which they are held.

(2) Results for the assessment of study-units and the dissertation shall be published as a percentage mark and grade as indicated in the table below:

Mark Range  Grade

80% -100%       A
70% - 79%        B
55% - 69%        C
45% - 54%        D
0 - 44%             F

Both the percentage mark and the grade shall be recorded in the students' academic record. However, only the percentage mark shall be used for the purpose of calculating the final classification of the Degree.

(3) Students who fail to obtain a pass in a written examination or in an assignment or in both may be allowed to sit for a supplementary examination, or to resubmit the assignment or both. Students may be allowed to repeat an examination and to resubmit an assignment for a given study-unit only once.

(4) In order to qualify for the Degree, students must obtain all the credits indicated in regulation 6.

9. Students who, after due warning given in writing, persistently fail to attend lectures and/or tutorials or otherwise do not carry out their academic duties without adequate justification, may be debarred by Senate, following a recommendation of the Board, from continuing the Course.

Dissertation

10. During the first semester of Year 2, students shall submit a research proposal for the dissertation for the approval of the Board.

11. The dissertation, to be submitted by the end of the Course, shall be of approximately 25,000 words on an approved subject. The dissertation shall be an original work in the sense that it shall be either a record of original research or an ordered and critical expression of existing data with regard to a particular subject approved by the Board. It shall be written, typed and bound in accordance with the criteria established by the Board for this purpose. A viva voce examination on the dissertation may also be held.

12. The Board shall appoint a supervisor for each student.

Award of the Degree

13. (1) The final result shall take into account the marks obtained in the taught and research components of the Course, which shall be weighted according to the number of credits assigned to each.

(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the Degree shall be published in a list in alphabetical order classified as follows:

Passed with Distinction
Passed.