EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2005 in terms of the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004 for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - B.A. (Hons) - in Social Policy or in Social Work under the auspices of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy

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 bye-laws made by the Board of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by section 37 (1) of the said Act and which have been approved by the Senate of the University of Malta as required by section 37 (2) of the said Act:

Citation and Interpretation

1. (1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws of 2005 in terms of the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004 for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) ­ B.A. (Hons) ­ in Social Policy or in Social Work under the auspices of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy.

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

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy;

"the Course" means the programme of studies leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) ­ B.A. (Hons) ­ in Social Policy or in Social Work, as appropriate;

"the Degree" means the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - B.A. (Hons) - in Social Policy or in Social Work, as appropriate; and

"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004.

Applicability

2. These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October 2003 or later.

Areas of Study

3. The degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in either Social Policy or in Social Work is awarded as a Main Honours area of study.

Requirements for Admission

4. (1) To be registered as regular students in the Course, applicants shall satisfy the general requirements for admission as specified in the Admission Regulations of the University.

(2) Applicants in possession of the Diploma in Social Work of this University, or a comparable qualification in an area related to Social Work or Social Policy or who have obtained credits for study-units considered by the Board to be equivalent to those in the Course may also be admitted to the Course. Subject to the provisions of the Principal Regulations, such applicants may be allowed by the Board to transfer these credits to the Course. The number of credits so transferred shall notexceed those obtainable in one year of the Course.

Course Duration

5. (1) The Course shall extend over a period of four years of full-time studies or its equivalent in part-time studies.

(2) Students admitted in terms of the provisions of paragraph (2) of bye-law 4 may complete their course of studies within a period of three years of full-time studies or its equivalent in part-time studies.

Course Programme

6. All students shall be required to register initially for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in `Social Policy or Social Work'.

7. (1) The Course shall consist of two parts: Part One and Part Two.

(2) Part One shall extend over a period of one year to which 60 credits are assigned. It incorporates basic study-units in the Social Sciences and a pre-placement of four credits, which shall be taken by all students.

(3) Part Two shall extend over a period of three years.

8. (1) At the end of Part One, students shall be required to choose either the Social Policy or the Social Work area of study.

(2) Students shall be allowed to choose Social Work as their area of study if they obtain a mark of not less than 65% in the pre-placement held in Part One of the Course.

9. Part Two of the Course extends over a period of three years and comprises compulsory and elective study-units, to which 180 credits are assigned. These shall include the writing of a dissertation of 12,000-15,000 words. The dissertation is to be written according to criteria established by the Board. The final year of the Course shall include a synoptic study-unit to which 20 credits are assigned.

Programmes of Studies

10. The Board shall publish the programmes of studies drawn up in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Principal Regulations, and approved by Senate. Subject to the approval of Senate, the Board may make any necessary changes to the programmes of studies and to the study-units required for the Degree as the need arises.

Classification of the Award

11. The Final Weighted Average Mark for the classification of the Degree shall be based on the results obtained in the four years of the Course which shall be weighted as follows:

First Year Average Mark - 10%
Second Year Average Mark - 20%
Third Year Average Mark - 20%
Fourth Year Average Mark - 50%.