EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327)

Postgraduate Diploma in School Counselling ­ P.G. Dip. (Sch. Couns.) ­ 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 Postgraduate Diploma in School Counselling ­ P.G. Dip. (Sch. Couns.) ­ 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 programme of studies leading to the Postgraduate Diploma in School Counselling ­ P.G. Dip. (Sch. Couns.); and

"the Diploma" means the Postgraduate Diploma in School Counselling ­ P.G. Dip. (Sch. Couns.).

Applicability

2. These regulations shall apply to courses starting in October 2003 or later.

Qualifications for Admission

3. (1) In order to be admitted to the Course, applicants shall be in possession of the following qualifications:

(a) a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree awarded with First or Second Class Honours of this University and five years of teaching experience; or

(b)
(i) the degree of Bachelor of Psychology, or
(ii) the degree of Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), or
(iii) the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Work, or
(iv) the degree of Bachelor of Arts degree with Psychology as a main area of study, in all cases awarded with Category I or II or with First or Second Class Honours of this University, and the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and five years of teaching experience; or

(c) other qualifications considered by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board, to be equivalent to the qualifications specified in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of this regulation.

(2) Additionally applicants have to satisfy the Board through an interview that they have the necessary aptitude for the Course.

Course Duration

4. The Course shall extend over one year of full-time study or two years of part-time study.

Course Programme

5. The Course shall have three components as follows:

(a) a theoretical component to which 26 ECTS credits shall be assigned;
(b) synoptic study-units to which 10 ECTS credits shall be assigned; and
(c) a practical component to which 24 ECTS credits shall be assigned.

Catalogue of Study-Units

6. The Board shall draw up a catalogue of study-units. The catalogue shall indicate the level, code, title, description and type of each study-unit, the credits assigned to each study-unit, and the methods of teaching and assessment. The Board shall publish the catalogue prior to the commencement of each Course, following the approval of Senate.

Registration for the Course

7. Senate, on the recommendation of the Board, may limit the number of students that may be admitted to the Course depending on the availability of resources. The number of students shall be announced before the beginning of each Course. Should there be more eligible applicants than the number of available places, applicants shall be selected by a board appointed for the purpose.

Assessment and Progress

8. The results for the assessment of the study-units and the practical component shall be published as a percentage mark and grade as follows:

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 students' progression and for the final classification of the Diploma.

9. The maximum mark and grade that may be awarded for a supplementary assessment shall be 45% - grade D.

10. In order to qualify for the Diploma, students are required to obtain a pass in the three components of the Course as stipulated in regulation 5.

11. 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.

Final Result

12. (1) The overall evaluation of each student's performance in the Course for the purpose of the classification of the Diploma award shall be based on the results obtained in each year of the Course, all credits earned being weighted equally.

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

Passed with Distinction
Passed.