IN exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 28(5) and 29(6) of the Education Act, 1988, the Chancellor of the University of Malta has promulgated the following Regulations made by the Senate of the University of Malta in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by section 33 of the said Act

Citation

These regulations may be cited as the Regulations for the Degree of Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.Th.L.), and are applicable to courses which started in or after 1987. 

Regulations for the Degree of Licentiate In Sacred Theology (S.Th.L.) (applicable to courses starting in or after 1987.) 

Admission

1.1 To be eligible for the award of the Degree of Licentiate in Sacred Theology a candidate must:

(a) be registered as a matriculated student in terms of the Admission Regulations of the University;
(b) satisfy the Special Course Requirements in accordance with Regulation 3 below;
(c) complete the course of studies, qualify in the assessments and examinations and satisfy any other requirements as prescribed in these Regulations;
(d) satisfy any other requirements prescribed in any other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University.

Duration of Course

2.1 The course leading to the Licentiate in Sacred Theology extends over a period of two years.

2.2 On the recommendation of the Faculty Board, Senate may allow a candidate to complete the course in a longer period under such conditions as the Faculty Board may deem necessary to impose.

Course Requirements

3.1 A candidate may apply for admission to the Course leading to the Degree of S.Th.L. if he has obtained the degree of Bachelor of Sacred Theology of this Faculty or an equivalent degree in Theology from a University recognized by the Faculty Board for this purpose.

3.2 A candidate who has followed a course in Theology in another institution recognized by the Faculty Board for this purpose to a level considered sufficient may apply to the Faculty for admission to the Course leading to the S.Th.L.

Such a candidate:

(i) will be required to sit for an examination of the same standard, and which may be the same as, the Final Examination for the S.Th.B.;
(ii) will he required to satisfy such other conditions as the Faculty Board may in each case determine.

Course of Studies

4.1 The course of studies shall provide specialization in a specific area or areas of Theology.

4.2 Candidates may choose only that area or one of those areas of study which the Faculty will be offering at the time.

4.3 The course of studies shall consist of a number of study-units to each of which the Faculty Board shall assign a specified number of credits.

4.4 The syllabus, listing the study-units for the field or fields of specialization, shall be published at the beginning of the course.

4.5 To complete the course of studies a candidate shall be required to obtain a minimum of 40 credits.

4.6 The Dean may exempt a candidate from a maximum of one third of the number of credits provided that the candidate presents sufficient academic testimonials attesting that the study-units, from which exemption is required, have been substantially covered.

Assessments and Final Examination

5.1 There shall be an assessment at the end of every study-unit and a written comprehensive Final Examination at the end of the fourth semester.

5.2 The teacher of a study-unit will assess the performance of every candidate at the end of each study-unit as specified in the syllabus. In case of failure, the candidate is entitled to one re-sit session, which shall be held within six months.

5.3 A candidate, who in the re-sit fails in a study-unit or study-units to which, in all, three credits or less are assigned in a particular semester, may register again for the study-unit or study-units in which he has failed and submit for a re-assessment. In this case, the study-unit or study-units shall be covered in a form to be established by the teacher/s concerned in consultation with the Dean. This concession may be availed of only once during the course of studies.

5.4 No candidate shall be allowed to sit for the comprehensive examination before obtaining all the required credits.

5.5 A Board of Examiners shall conduct the Final Examination. The Board of Examiners may seek the assistance of other members of staff who have lectured in the S.Th.L. course both for the setting of papers and for their markings.

5.6 A candidate who fails the Final Examination may be allowed by the Faculty Board, on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners, to sit for the examination at another session to be held not earlier than six months and not later than twelve months after the first examination. A candidate shall be allowed only one re-sit.

Dissertation

6.1 A candidate shall write a dissertation on an approved subject to show his ability to do satisfactorily scientific research in Theology.

6.2 The title of the dissertation shall be submitted to the Faculty Board for approval before the end of the first year of the Course of Studies.

6.3 The Faculty Board shall appoint a member of the Faculty to act as supervisor for each dissertation.

6.4 A candidate may submit his dissertation for examination after the beginning of the fourth semester.

6.5 Each dissertation shall be examined by a Board of Examiners consisting of two members appointed for the purpose. Unless the Faculty Board recommends otherwise, the supervisor shall be one of the examiners.

6.6 The candidate shall defend his dissertation orally before such other persons as may be nominated by the Faculty Board.

6.7 The dissertation may not be submitted for examination later than twelve months after the candidate has passed the Final Examination. The Faculty Board may extend this period by six months and, in special circumstances only, by a longer period.

6.8 The Board of Examiners may:

(i) approve the dissertation as submitted by the candidate; or
(ii) require the candidate to make modifications to the dissertation before re-submitting it for further examination; or
(iii) reject the dissertation altogether.

6.9 A candidate who is required to make modifications to the dissertation must submit his dissertation with the appropriate modifications indicated by the Board of Examiners within three months of the notification of their decision.

6.10 If the dissertation is considered to be inadequate, the Board of Examiners may recommend to the Faculty Board that the candidate undertake further research in the subject-matter of the dissertation, after which he would be permitted to present it once more in a revised form within a period of time not exceeding eighteen months.

Results

7.1 The names of candidates who have successfully completed a study-unit and have passed the comprehensive final examinations shall be published in alphabetical order. The mark awarded will be communicated to candidates at their request and in confidence.

7.2 A candidate who passes study-units after re-sit in terms of Regulation 5.2 or the Comprehensive Final Examination in terms of Regulation 5.6 shall be only accredited with a pass mark in these study-units or this examination for the purposes of the degree classification.

7.3 The degree classification shall take into account the results study-units, the results of the Final Examination and of the dissertation according to the following proportion:

Study-units - 50%
Comprehensive Final Examination - 25%
Dissertation - 25%

7.4 The names of the candidates who have passed the S.Th.L. examination and whose dissertation has been approved shall be published in alphabetical order in the categories:

Passed with highest distinction (Summa cum laude)
Passed with distinction (Magna cum laude)
Passed with credit (Cum Laude)
Satisfactory (Bene Probatus)
Pass (Probatus)

Re-Admission to the Course

8.1 A candidate, who for special reasons acceptable to the Faculty Board is unable to complete the course in the stipulated time, may be permitted to join another course under such conditions as the Faculty Board may in each case determine. Such permission shall in no case be given more than once.

Application

9.1 These regulations shall apply to courses commencing in or after 1987.