Legal Notice 244 of 1998 Malta Government Gazette No. 16,701 6 November 1998
Amended by:
Legal Notice 284 of 2001 Malta Government Gazette No. 17,158 6 November 2001
Legal Notice 51 of 2003 Malta Government Gazette No. 17,349 31 January 2003
Legal Notice 203 of 2005 Malta Government Gazette No. 17,779 14 June 2005 |
The PostQualification Diploma in Health Science PQ Dip. H.Sc. and the Degree of Master of Health Science M.Sc. (Health) Course Regulations, 1998 Citation and Interpretation 1.
(1) These regulations may be cited as the PostQualification Diploma in Health Science - PQ Dip. H.Sc. - and the Degree of Master of Health Science - M.Sc. (Health) - Course Regulations, 1998.
(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires
"the Board" means the Board of the Institute of Health Care;
"the Board of Studies" means the Board of Studies appointed for the Course;
"the Course" means the course leading to the PostQualification Diploma in Health Science - PQ Dip. H.Sc. - and to the Degree of Master of Health Science - M.Sc. (Health);
"the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Health Science - M.Sc. (Health);
"the Diploma" means the PostQualification Diploma in Health Science - PQ Dip. H.Sc.;
"Health Science" means one of the sciences listed in Schedule I attached to these regulations.
Applicability. 2.
These regulations shall be applicable to courses starting in October 1996 or later.
Registration and Eligibility for the Diploma 3.
(1) A candidate must register on the prescribed form within the time specified by the Registrar.
(2) On registration, the student shall opt to specialize in one of the Health Sciences listed in Schedule I attached to these regulations.
(3) A student shall be eligible for registration for the Diploma if he:
(a) (i) has obtained a first degree deemed by the Admissions Board to be related to the chosen health science inclusive of clinical or other relevant experience as appropriate; or
(ii) is in possession of a recognised professional qualification deemed by the Admissions Board to be related to the chosen health science, has a minimum of five years' relevant experience, and satisfies the Board through an interview that he can complete the Course successfully; or
(iii) has already given evidence of proficiency in research and passed a special written qualifying examination, normally in more than one subject, as may be determined by the Board; and
(b) if applicable, satisfies the special course requirements listed in Schedule II attached to these regulations.
(4) To be eligible for the award of the Diploma, a student shall:
(
a) complete the course of studies, qualify in the examinations and comply with the other requirements prescribed in these regulations; and
(
b) have been approved by the Board and registered as a regular student of the University; and
(
c) comply with any other requirements prescribed in any other relevant statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the University.
Course of Studies for the Diploma 4. (1) The course of studies for the Diploma shall extend over a minimum period of two years of part-time study. A student may not take the final examination earlier than two years or not later than three years from first admission to the Course, except with special permission of the Senate.
(2) The course of studies for the Diploma shall consist of:
(
a) study-units to which not less than 24 credits are assigned; and
(
b) a supervised individual research project.
(3) A catalogue of study-units, with the credits assigned to each study-unit, shall be approved by the Board and published before the start of each semester. Some study-units may be indicated as compulsory and others as optional. Some study-units shall involve supervised practical work. This practical work shall be considered as an essential component of the course of studies for the Diploma for which credits are assigned.
Continuous Assessment for the Diploma 5.
(1) In each semester of the course of studies for the Diploma, students shall be assessed in the study-units covered during that semester in accordance with the criteria established by the Board.
(2) The following grades shall be used in the assignation of credits: A, B, C, D, and F, in descending order of merit, with F indicating failure.
(3) A student who fails in any study-unit shall be allowed to resit the assessment once. If he fails the resit, the student may be allowed to repeat the relevant study-unit only once. In the case of resit or repeat, the maximum grade the student can obtain shall be grade D.
Individual Research Project 6.
(1) Students shall be required to complete an individual research project under academic supervision.
(2) The proposed title and outline of the project shall be submitted to and approved by, the Board of Studies.
(3) The Board of Studies shall appoint a supervisor.
(4) The name of the supervisor, the proposed title and the outline of the project shall be submitted to the Board for final approval.
(5) The project must satisfy the Board as regards content and presentation.
(6) The project shall be approximately 10,000 words in length and shall also fulfil the relevant guidelines as regards format and length.
(7) The project shall be submitted in its final form not later than the twentieth month from the commencement of the course of studies for the Diploma, unless an extension is granted by the Board.
Final Examination for the Diploma 7.
(1) A final written, comprehensive examination consisting of two papers shall be held at the end of the course of studies for the Diploma. Only students who have obtained at least 20 credits, including all the compulsory credits, shall be admitted to the final examination.
(2) Students may also be required to sit for a
viva voce examination.
(3) A student who, after due warning given in writing, persistently fails to attend lectures and/or tutorials or otherwise does not carry out his academic duties without adequate justification, may be debarred by the Board from sitting for any or all of the final examination.
Final Grading and Classification for the Award of the Diploma 8.
(1) At the end of the Course, the following grades shall be used: A, B, C, D, or F, in descending order of merit, with A being the highest grade and F indicating failure.
(2) The final grading shall be based on the study-units, which shall carry 40% of the weighting, the research project, which shall carry 30% of the weighting, and the final examination, which shall carry 30% of the weighting.
(3) A student shall not be awarded the Diploma unless he has satisfied the requirements for each part of the assessment (i.e. the study-units, the project, and the final examination).
(4) The names of students who qualify for the award of the Diploma shall be published in a list in alphabetical order in the following categories:
Pass with Distinction
Pass.
Registration and Eligibility for the Degree 9.
(1) A candidate must register on the prescribed form within the time specified by the Registrar.
(2) On registration, the student shall opt to specialize in one Health Science listed in Schedule I attached to these regulations.
(3) A student shall be eligible for the registration for the Degree if he:
(
a) (i) has obtained a Pass with an overall grade B in the Diploma Course deemed by the Board to be related to the proposed course of studies; or
(ii) is in possession of a B.Sc. (Hons) in a related subject with at least Second Class Honours, or an appropriate degree, such as M.D., B.Sc. (Hons), B.Pharm. (Hons.) or B.Ch.D., which meets with the approval of the Board; or
(iii) possesses a degree which, in the opinion of the Board, is equivalent to the qualifications listed in sub-paragraph (i) or (ii); or
(iv) is in possession of a B.Sc. (not at Honours Level) in a related subject, provided that in such a case he may only be allowed to register for the Degree course following satisfactory completion of one year of prescribed studies and research, which meets with the approval of the Board; and
(
b) if applicable, satisfies the special course requirements listed in Schedule II attached to these regulations; and
(
c) is applying in terms of sub-paragraphs (ii), (iii) or (iv) of paragraph 3(a) of regulation 9, he must also satisfy the Board through an interview that he can complete the Course successfully.
(d) Senate, on the advice of the Board, may limit the number of students that may be admitted to any area of study offered in the Course. When the number is so limited and the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of places available, applicants shall be selected through an interview taking into account the candidate's qualifications and the relevant experience to the area applied for.
(4) To be eligible for the award of the Degree, students must:
(a) complete the course of studies and obtain all the credits indicated in regulation 11; and
(b) comply with any other requirements prescribed in any other relevant statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the University.
Course Duration
10. (1) The Course shall extend over twelve months of full-time study or twenty-four months of part-time study.
(2) The Board may allow students to complete the course programme within a maximum period of eighteen months of full-time study or thirty-six months of part-time study after registration. In exceptional circumstances, Senate may allow students to extend their studies by up to a further twelve months.
Course Structure
11. The Course shall have two components, as follows:
(a) a taught component, consisting of a number of compulsory and optional study-units, to which 30 credits shall be assigned; and
(b) a compulsory research component, which shall lead to the presentation of a dissertation, written under academic supervision, to which 10 credits shall be assigned.
Catalogue of Study-Units
12. The Board shall draw up a catalogue of study-units for each Health Science. 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, optional, 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
13. (1) 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. Each study-unit may be assessed through continuous assessment and a final examination at the end of the study-unit. The percentage weighting of each component of the continuous assessment and of the final examination shall be indicated in the description of each study-unit and published in the catalogue of study-units.
(2) For the purpose of determining the classification of the Degree, students may be required to attend for a viva voce examination.
14. (1) Students who fail to obtain a pass grade in a study-unit may be allowed to sit for a supplementary assessment. In the supplementary assessment, students may be required to be reassessed either in the failed component/s of the assessment or in all the components as indicated in the catalogue of study-units. Such reassessment may be allowed once only. If successful, the maximum grade that may be awarded shall be grade D.
(2) If students fail the reassessment of a study-unit, they may be allowed to repeat it once only. If successful, the maximum grade that may be awarded shall be grade D.
15. Attendance for the taught component of the Course is obligatory. 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 the Board from sitting for any or all of the study-unit assessments.
Dissertation
16. (1) Students shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of approximately 20,000 words in length in accordance with the guidelines regarding format issued by the Board. The dissertation must also satisfy the Board as regards content and presentation.
(2) Students shall submit to the Board of Studies for approval the proposed title of their dissertation and an outline of the research project to be performed for the purpose of the dissertation by not later than the end of the first semester in the case of studies on a full-time basis, and by not later tan the end of June of the first year of the Course, in the case of studies on a part-time basis. The Board of Studies shall approve the title and research proposal and propose to the Board supervisors for each dissertation.
(3) Students shall submit the dissertation for examination within four months after the completion of the taught component of the Course referred to in paragraph (a) of regulation 11 and within the duration of the Course indicated in paragraph (1) of regulation 10. In special circumstances, the Board may allow students to present their dissertation at a later date within the period indicated in paragraph (2) of regulation 10.
(4) The dissertation shall be examined by a Board of Examiners appointed by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board.
(5) The Board of Examiners may require students to defend their dissertation during a viva voce examination.
(6) If the dissertation does not reach the required standard, students may be required to amend and resubmit it within a period established by the Board within the period indicated in paragraph (2) of regulation 10.
Final Result
17. 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.
18. The names of the students who qualify for the award of the Degree shall be published in a list in alphabetical order classified as follows:
Passed with Distinction
Passed.
SCHEDULE I
The Diploma and the Degree may be awarded in one of the following Health Sciences:
(a) Communication Therapy
(b) Dental Technology
(c) Environmental Health
(d) Health Service Management
(e) Medical Laboratory Science
(f) Midwifery
(g) Nursing
(h) Occupational Therapy
(i) Physiotherapy
(j) Radiography
(k) Nursing/Midwifery Education
(l) Nutrition and Dietetics.
SCHEDULE II
Special Course Requirements
1. (a) Candidates applying for the Degree course in Nursing or Midwifery must:
(i) have obtained a pass with an overall grade B in the PostQualification Diploma in Nursing/Midwifery Education; or
(ii) be in possession of a first degree in Nursing/Midwifery Studies with at least Second Class Honours; or
(iii) be in possession of a degree which, in the opinion of the Admissions Board, is equivalent to the qualifications listed in sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) of this regulation.
(b) Candidates must have a minimum of two years' practising experience in Nursing/Midwifery.
2. In addition to the entry requirements referred to in regulation 9, candidates applying for the Degree course in Health Service Management must:
(i) have obtained a pass with an overall grade B in the PostQualification Diploma in Health Service Management; or
(ii) be in possession of a first degree in health science or in a management science, with at least Second Class Honours, and have a minimum of three years' work experience within the health service sector."
