EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327)

Certificate in Foundation Studies Course Regulations, 2000

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 Certificate in Foundation Studies Course Regulations, 2000.

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

"the Board" means the Board of Studies appointed for the Course;

"the Certificate" means the Certificate in Foundation Studies; and

"the Course" means the course of studies leading to the Certificate in Foundation Studies.

Applicability

2. These regulations shall apply to courses starting in October 1999 or later.

Eligibility for the Certificate

3. To be eligible for the award of the Certificate, students must:

(a) be registered as students in the Course in terms of regulation 4;

(b) complete the course of studies, qualify in the assessments and satisfy any other requirements prescribed in these regulations; and

(c) satisfy any other requirements prescribed in any other relevant Statutes, Regulations and Bye-laws of the University.

Registration for the Course

4. The Course is open only to overseas applicants who:

(a) have completed their secondary and/or high school education abroad; and

(b) are in possession of one of the following qualifications in English at the required level:

(i) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) 500 or 173 CB;
(ii) International English Language Testing System 5.5;
(iii) Cambridge First Certificate at grade C or better; or any other equivalent qualification approved by the Board; and

(c) are in possession of qualifications allowing access to higher education in the country where such qualifications were obtained; but

(d) are deemed to require further study to be admitted to degree courses at the University of Malta.

Duration of Course

5. The Course extends over a period of one academic year of full-time study.

Board of Studies

6. The general administration of the Course shall be entrusted to a Board of Studies, approved by Senate.

Course of Studies

7. (1) The Course aims to bridge differences between the Maltese educational system and other systems. It shall consist of a number of study-units to each of which a number of credits is assigned. The study-units shall be divided into two areas of study:

English Language Proficiency area; and
Special Subject and Optional area. Study-units in this area shall be determined by the Special Course Requirements of the degree course students intend to apply for.

(2) Students may register for study-units to which a total of not less than 24 credits and not more than 30 credits are assigned.

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 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.

Attendance and Assessment

9. (1) Students must attend at least 75% of the lectures/seminars or practical sessions in a study-unit before being allowed to sit for the assessment of a study-unit. Absences for the remaining 25% of lectures, seminars or practical sessions must be justified and approved by the Board.

(2) 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: coursework, practical, written and/or oral assessments.

(3) In each of the areas of study, students may be re-assessed for study-units to which not more than four credits are assigned.

Award of the Certificate

10. (1) The Certificate shall be awarded to students who complete the Course and obtain at least twenty-four credits, twelve of which must be in the English Language area of study, and another twelve in the Special Subject and Optional area of study, provided that, if students obtain one credit less than the twenty-four required, this may be compensated for by an overall grade of not less than B.

(2) The Certificate shall show a grade A, B, C or D (grade A being the highest and D the lowest) indicating the standard attained by the students, and shall take into account the best grades obtained in the study-units indicated in paragraph (1) of this regulation to which 24 credits are assigned.

Access and Admission to University Undergraduate Courses

11. (1) Students who obtain the Certificate with an overall Grade C or better shall have obtained the general entry requirements for undergraduate courses at the University of Malta.

(2) In order to satisfy the Special Course Requirements for particular undergraduate degree courses, students must be in possession of the Certificate with an overall Grade C or better and must have obtained the credits assigned to the study-units in the Special Subject area of study and at the grade indicated by the Board at the commencement of the Foundation Studies Course.