EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327)

Master of Arts in Economics of Competition Law - M.A. (Econ. Comp. Law) - Degree Course Regulations, 2003

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 of Arts in Economics of Competition Law - M.A. (Econ. Comp. Law) - Degree Course Regulations, 2003. (2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -

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

"the Course" means the course of studies leading to the Degree of Master of Arts in Economics of Competition Law - M.A. (Econ. Comp. Law); and

"the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Arts in Economics of Competition Law - M.A. (Econ. Comp. Law).

Applicability

2. These regulations shall apply to courses starting in October 2002 or later.

Qualifications for Admission

3. Applicants for admission to the Course shall be persons in possession of:

(a) the degree of Doctor of Laws or the Diploma of Notary Public; or
(b) a Bachelor's degree with at least second class honours in Economics, or Banking and Finance or Accountancy; or
(c) equivalent qualifications in related areas from this University or another university recognised by Senate for this purpose.

Course Duration

4. The Course shall extend over twelve months of full-time study or two academic years of part-time study.

5. In exceptional circumstances, applicants may be allowed by the Board to complete the course programme within a maximum period of eighteen months of full-time study or three academic years of part-time study after registration.

Course Structure

6. The Course shall have two components, as follows:

(a) a taught component, consisting of a number of compulsory and elective study-units in two areas of study (Economics and Law), for which a minimum of 16 credits shall be assigned; and

(b) a research component, which shall lead to the presentation of a dissertation, written under supervision, for which 14 credits shall be assigned.

7. Students admitted to the Course on the basis of a qualification in Law shall not be allowed to obtain credits for study-units in Law during the first semester of the Course, whilst students admitted on the basis of a qualification in Economics or in Banking and Finance shall not be allowed to obtain credits for study-units in Economics during the first semester of the Course.

Catalogue of Study-Units

8. The Board shall draw up a catalogue of study-units for each area of study. The catalogue shall indicate the level, code, title, description and type of each study-unit, the credits assigned to each study-unit, which study-units are offered during the first semester of the full-time Course or the first year of the part-time Course, which study-units are compulsory, concurrent or pre-requisites for other study-units, 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.

Assessment and Progress

9. Credits shall be assigned according to the following grades in descending order of merit: A, B, C, and D. Failure shall be indicated by F. Incomplete work due to justifiable reasons (illness, approved absence, etc.) shall be indicated by I. In all other cases, the results of uncompleted study-units shall be indicated as F. The grades awarded shall take into account the students' performance in one or more of the following elements, as deemed appropriate by the Board: assignments (to which a percentage of the final grade for the study-unit may be assigned) and written and/or oral examinations.

10. 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.

11. In order to qualify for the Degree, students must obtain at least 16 credits in the taught component of the Course, of which 14 credits must be obtained for the compulsory study-units.

12. 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

13. 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 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.

14. Students are required to obtain a pass for their dissertation in order to qualify for the award of the Degree.

Final Result

15. The final result of each student shall take into account all the grades obtained in the assessments of the taught and research components of the Course, which shall be weighted according to the number of credits assigned to each.

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

Pass with Distinction
Pass.