Legal Notice 482 of 2010 – Malta Government Gazette No. 18,671 – 12 November 2010
Amended by:
Legal Notice 394 of 2012 – Malta Government Gazette No. 18,987 – 13 November 2012
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EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327) Bye-Laws of 2010 in terms of the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the degree of Master in Counselling M.Couns. - under the auspices of the Faculty of Education IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon him by articles 74 (5) and 75 (6) of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has promulgated the following bye-laws made by the Board of the Faculty of Education in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by article 81 (1) of the said Act and which have been approved by the Senate of the University of Malta as required by article 81 (2) of the said Act:
Citation and Interpretation 1. (1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws of 2010 in terms of the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the degree of Master in Counselling M.Couns. - offered under the auspices of the Faculty of Education.
(2) In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires
"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Education;
"the Board of Studies" means the Board of Studies, appointed by Senate on the recommendation of the Board;
"the Course" means the programme of study leading to the degree of Master in Counselling -M.Couns.;
"the Degree" means the degree of Master in Counselling - M.Couns.;
"the Postgraduate Diploma" means the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling;
"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008;
Applicability 2. These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October 2010 or later.
Requirements for Admission 3. (1) The Course shall be open to applicants in possession of a Bachelor's degree with at least Second Class Honours or Category II in the Psychology, Social Work and/or Education area or a related area subject to the approval of the Board, together with a minimum of two years' experience working directly in a formal psycho-social or educational setting.
(2) All applicants shall be required to demonstrate that they have the necessary aptitude and disposition to follow the Course with profit.
(3) Professional aptitude and disposition shall be measured by means of exercises involving an extended personal interview and personality test.
(4) Senate, on the recommendation of the Board, shall determine the number of applicants that may be allowed to register for the Course, depending on the availability of resources. The number of available places shall be announced at the time of the call for applications.
(5) When the number is so limited and the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of places available, applicants shall be selected according to the following criteria, which shall be weighted as follows:
(a) degree type and classification 30%;
(b) experience in the area of the proposed study 15%; and
(c) professional aptitude and disposition 55%.
(6) The interviewing board appointed by the Board shall be composed of at least three members.
Course Duration 4. The Course shall extend over four semesters of full-time studies or the equivalent in part-time studies.
Programme of Study 5. (1) The programme of study shall comprise study-units to which a total of 120 credits are assigned, of which 90 credits are assigned to taught study-units and 30 credits are assigned to a dissertation study-unit.
(2) Students who obtain 60 credits assigned to taught study-units with an average mark of at least 50% and do not proceed with the Course, or having proceeded do not successfully complete the dissertation, shall be eligible for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma.
(3) The programme of study shall be published by the Board after approval by Senate, normally not less than eight months prior to the commencement of the Course.
Assessment and Progress 6. (1) The assessment of each taught study-unit shall be completed by the end of the semester in which the teaching of the study-unit is held.
(2) Students who in any academic year fail in the assessment of not more than four taught study-units in the case of the full-time Course shall be given the opportunity to re-sit the failed assessments during the September supplementary examination session, provided that students who fail in a study-unit involving a placement that requires assessment over a period of time shall not have the right to a supplementary assessment and shall be required to withdraw from the Course.
(3) Students who fail in more than the number of study-units permitted under paragraph (2) of this bye-law, or students who after re-assessment fail to obtain credit for any study-unit, shall be deemed to have failed the Course.
Dissertation 7. (1) Students shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of approximately 25,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board.
(2) Work on the dissertation shall be undertaken during the third and fourth semesters of the Course. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor who shall provide guidance and advice on a regular basis during the period of study.
(3) A provisional title of the dissertation and a detailed research proposal shall be submitted to the Board for approval by not later than two months prior to the end of the second semester.
8. (1) Students shall be required to have regular contact with their supervisor.
(2) Supervisors shall submit to the Board progress reports for each student under their supervision at the end of each semester of studies, whether the student is following the course on a full-time or a part-time basis. Such reports may include recommendations to either (a) extend the period of study in order to enable the student to complete the dissertation; or (b) terminate studies prematurely if the supervisor deems this to be proper in the circumstances, provided that:
(i) the extension of the study period referred to in (a) shall be in accordance with the provisions of Principal Regulations; and
(ii) the Board may not terminate studies prematurely according to (b) until it has first given the student a chance to be heard.
Classification of the Awards 9. The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the classification of the Postgraduate Diploma and of the Degree shall be based on the results obtained in all the components of the programme of study, all credits being weighted equally.
Special Provisions for Part-Time Courses 10. The provisions of the foregoing bye-laws shall apply
mutatis mutandis to courses followed on a part-time basis, and subject to such changes as may reasonably be deemed by the Board as necessary due to the part-time nature of the Course.
Repeal 11. The Regulations of 2008 for the Degree of Master in Counselling, published as Legal Notice 216 of 2008, shall be deemed to cease to be in force as from 1st October 2010, provided that students registered for this course before 1st October 2010 shall continue to be governed by the regulations that were in force at the time of their joining the course.
