| Legal Notice 210 of 2005 Malta Government Gazette No. 17, 779 14 June 2005 |
EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327) Master of Conservation in Applied Conservation Studies M.Cons. 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 of Conservation in Applied Conservation Studies M.Cons. Degree Course Regulations, 2005.
(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires
"the Academic Board" means the Academic Board of the Institute for Conservation and Restoration Studies of the Malta Centre for Restoration;
"the Board of Studies" means the Board of Studies for the Course appointed by Senate, on the recommendation of the Academic Board;
"the Course" means the programme of studies leading to the degree of Master of Conservation in Applied Conservation Studies M.Cons.;
"the Degree" means the degree of Master of Conservation in Applied Conservation Studies M.Cons.;
"the Institute" means the Institute for Conservation and Restoration Studies of the Malta Centre for Restoration; and
"the Senate" means the Senate of the University of Malta.
Applicability 2. These regulations shall apply to courses starting in October 2003 or later.
Qualifications for Admission 3.
The Course shall be open to applicants in possession of:
(a) the degree of Bachelor in Conservation and Restoration Studies (Honours) with at least Second Class Honours of this University; or
(b) a qualification which the Academic Board considers comparable to the degree of Bachelor in Conservation and Restoration Studies (Honours) with at least Second Class Honours and who are able to satisfy the Board of Studies that they have the necessary aptitude to join the Course, normally through an interview.
Course Duration 4. (1) The Course shall extend over a period of twelve months of full-time study or the equivalent in part-time study.
(2) The Board of Studies may allow students to extend their studies by not more than six months or their equivalent in part-time study.
Areas of Study 5. The Course shall be offered in specialisations in the area of Applied Conservation Studies in which the Institute can offer expert guidance and supervision. The areas of study shall be indicated by the Academic Board before the commencement of each Course, after approval by Senate.
6. Senate may, on the recommendation of the Board of Studies, limit the number of students that may be admitted to the Course depending on the availability of resources. The number of students that may be admitted shall be announced before the beginning of each Course. Should there be more eligible applicants than the maximum number of places, applicants shall be selected by a board appointed for the purpose. The board shall take into consideration the applicants' qualifications and their aptitude.
7. 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 of Studies 8. The Course shall consist of study-units to which a total of 80 credits are assigned, including taught and practical study-units to which 50 credits are assigned and a dissertation study-unit to which 30 credits are assigned.
Catalogue of Study-Units 9. The Board of Studies shall draw up a programme of studies for the Course and shall publish a catalogue of study-units. The catalogue shall indicate the 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 catalogue shall include also guidelines on the conduct of seminars, the production of the dissertation and its oral defence. The Board of Studies shall publish the catalogue prior to the commencement of each Course, following the approval of Senate.
Assessment and Progress 10. Results for the assessment of the 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.
11. (1) Students who fail in any taught study-unit, other than practical study-units, shall be allowed a supplementary assessment that shall be held at the next scheduled examination session and shall normally have the same mode of assessment as the corresponding first assessment. In the case of take home assignments that require re-submission, the supplementary assessment shall be made by arrangement with the lecturer concerned.
(2) The maximum mark and grade that may be awarded in the supplementary assessment shall be 45% - grade D.
(3) Students who fail a practical study-unit and students who fail a re-assessed study-unit shall be required to withdraw from the Course.
12. Students shall not be allowed to be re-assessed for a study-unit if they have already been awarded credits for it.
13. The Board of Studies may allow students to transfer credits obtained for study-units in a course of studies at this University or at an educational institution recognized for the purpose by the Senate, provided that such study-units are comparable in content and level to the ones offered in the Course. Not more than one-third of the number of credits required for the award of the Degree may be so transferred.
Dissertation 14. Students must submit a 300-word proposal for their dissertation and a supporting statement by a member of the Institute who has agreed to supervise the work, preferably at the time of submitting their application to join the Course but in any case not later than two months from the commencement of the Course.
15. The Board of Studies shall be responsible for the approval of the title and research proposal.
16. Dissertations presented for the Degree shall:
(a) be work of an advanced or original nature in the students' area of study;
(b) satisfy the Board of Examiners as regards content and presentation;
(c) be between 35,000 and 40,000 words long; and
(d) fulfil the requirements stipulated in the relevant guidelines as regards format.
17. Students shall present four bound copies of the dissertation to the Institute, one of which shall be retained in the University Library and another in the Library of the Malta Centre for Restoration.
18. No dissertation shall be accepted which is identical in substance to a document already submitted for a degree in this or any other university or to any other published material. Students shall, however, not be precluded from incorporating such previous work as may be necessary to the presentation and a fuller understanding of their exposition, provided that the nature and extent of such incorporation are clearly indicated in the dissertation itself.
Supervision of Dissertation 19. (1) The Board of Studies shall appoint a Panel of Supervision for each student, normally composed of three members as follows: the Head of Department/Coordinator as chairman, and two other members, one of whom being the research supervisor, provided that when the Head of Department/ Coordinator is the supervisor, he shall not chair the Panel.
(2) The Panel of Supervision shall follow the students' work on their dissertation, provided that it meets at least twice to review such progress.
(3) Students shall be required to report to their supervisor at least once every month and in addition as often as the supervisor deems necessary.
(4) Supervisors shall be required to submit regular reports on students to the Panel of Supervision. Students shall seek approval from the Board of Studies for any substantial modification in the title or content of the dissertation. The dissertation may not normally be submitted to a Board of Examiners without the approval of the supervisor.
(5) The Panel of Supervision may advise the Board of Studies in writing on the performance of a student. Such advice may recommend an extension of the study period in order to enable the student to complete the dissertation, provided that the extension of the study period referred to shall be according to paragraph (2) of regulation 4.
Assessment of Study-Units and Dissertation 20. (1) A Board of Examiners shall be appointed for each study-unit and shall normally be composed of three members as follows: the Head of Department/Coordinator as chairman, the lecturer concerned and one other member.
(2) The Board of Examiners appointed for the dissertation shall normally be composed of three members as follows: the Head of Department/Coordinator as chairman, and two other members, one of whom being the research supervisor, provided that when the Head of Department/Coordinator is the supervisor, he shall not chair the Board. The other member of the Board of Examiners shall be an external examiner.
(3) The Board of Examiners for the dissertation shall require students to defend the dissertation orally before them. The external examiner need not be present for the oral defence provided that three members shall conduct the oral examination.
21. (1) Students whose dissertation is found unsatisfactory may either be deemed to have failed without being given the opportunity to resubmit the work for re-assessment or be required by the Board of Examiners to rewrite the document in whole or in part and re-submit it for re-assessment not earlier than two months and not later than six months from the notification of the decision by the Board of Examiners for the dissertation.
(2) The maximum mark and grade that may be awarded to a dissertation after re-assessment shall be 45% grade D.
(3) Students may be awarded a pass mark and grade for a dissertation subject to their making minor amendments and/or corrections within not more than a month's time. In such instances, the mark is effectively awarded when the required changes are made to the satisfaction of the Board of Examiners.
Award of the Degree 22. (1) The final result shall take into account the results obtained in all the study-units of the Course, which shall be weighted according to the number of credits assigned to each study-unit.
(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the Degree shall be published in a list in alphabetical order and classified as follows:
Passed with Distinction
Passed.
