| Legal Notice 177 of 2000 Malta Government Gazette No. 16,990 15 September 2000 |
EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327) Master of Arts in Human Rights and Democratization - M.A. - Degree 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 Chancel or of the University of Malta has promulgated the fol owing 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 Human Rights and Democratization - M.A. - Degree Course Regulations, 2000.
(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -
"the Board" means the Faculty Board of Laws;
"the Board of Studies" means the Board of Studies appointed by Senate for the Course;
"the Course" means the course of studies leading to the Degree of Master of Arts in Human Rights and Democratization - M.A.;
"the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Arts in Human Rights and Democratization - M.A.;
"the Participating Universities" means the universities and institutions participating in the teaching of this Degree in agreement with the University;
"the Senate" means the Senate of the University; and
"the University" means the University of Malta.
Applicability
2. These regulations shall apply to courses starting in October 2000 or later.
Board of Studies
3. The Course shall be administered by a Board of Studies appointed by the Senate, on the recommendation of the Board, following consultation with the Participating Universities.
Eligibility for the Degree
4. To be eligible for the award of the Degree, students must:
(a) be registered as regular students in terms of the Admission Regulations of the University and satisfy the Qualifications for Admission laid down in regulation 5;
(b) complete the course of studies, qualify in the examinations, be approved in the dissertation 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.
Qualifications for Admission
5. Applicants for admission to the Course, who must be fluent in the English language, shall be in possessionof the following qualifications:
(a) a Bachelor's degree in either law, or the social sciences, or the political sciences, or international relations or the humanities, with at least Second Class Honours, and preferably with some experience in a field related to the area of human rights; or
(b) an equivalent qualification from this University or another university recognized by the Senate for the purpose.
Registration for the Course
6. Applicants wishing to register for the Course shall apply on the prescribed form and within the time specified by the Office of the Registrar.
7. On admission to the Course, students shall be required to register for the appropriate number of study-units, as indicated in paragraph (a) of regulation 9.
Course Duration
8. The Course shal extend over one academic year of full-time study and research. In special circumstances, the Board may allow students a further period of up to six months of study.
Course of Studies
9. The Course shal be offered in areas of study related to Human Rights and Democratization as determined by the Board, and shall consist of two components:
(a) a taught component, extending over the first semester of the Course, and consisting of a number of study-units, for which a minimum of 16 credits shall be assigned, to be held at the University; and
(b) a research component, extending over the second semester of the Course, and leading to the presentation of a dissertation, for which 14 credits shall be assigned, which may be done at one of the Participating Universities.
Catalogue of Study-Units
10. The Board shall draw up a catalogue of study-units for each area of study. The catalogue shall indicate the code, title, and description of each study-unit, the credits assigned to each study-unit, 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
11. 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 of Studies: assignments and/or written examinations.
12. Students who fail in any study-unit with a mark of not less than forty per cent (40%) of the assessment marks in that area of study shall be reassessed in any or all of the components of the assessment. In such cases the maximum grade that can be awarded is grade D.
The Dissertation
13. (1) Students shal present a written proposal for a dissertation by not later than six weeks from the beginning of the Course.
(2) On approval of the dissertation proposal by the Board of Studies, students shall be assigned a supervisor who shall be appointed by the Board of Studies.
(3) The dissertation, which shall not exceed 25,000 words, shall be submitted by not later than the end of the second semester.
(4) The Board may, at its discretion, grant students an extension of the submission date referred to in paragraph (3) of this regulation, subject to the provisions of regulation 8.
(5) The dissertation shall be examined by a Board of Examiners appointed by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board.
(6) Students shall submit eight copies of the dissertation and declare in writing that the dissertation is their own work and conforms to the requirements referred to in paragraph (10) of this regulation.
(7) The Board of Examiners shall be convened by its Chairman to discuss the dissertations. Students may be required to take a viva voce examination in defence of their dissertation.
(8) The Board of Examiners may approve the dissertation. It may require students to make corrections or to completely rewrite the dissertation within a stated time limit, subject to the provisions of regulation 8, or may reject the dissertation altogether.
(9) Students whose dissertation is rejected or whose corrections or rewriting are considered inadequate or who have not submitted their dissertation within the prescribed time limit, shall not be awarded the Degree.
(10) The dissertation shall be submitted in accordance with the guidelines which shall be published by the Board of Studies from time to time.
Classification and Award of the Degree
14. The final grade of each student shall take into account all the grades obtained in the study-units and the dissertation, which shall be weighted according to the number of credits assigned to each.
15. The names of 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.
