| Legal Notice 154 of 2005 - Malta Government Gazette No. 17,772 27 May 2005 |
EDUCATION ACT (CAP. 327) Master of Arts - M.A. - Degree Course Regulations, 2005 under the auspices of the Faculty of Theology 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 Arts - M.A. - Degree Course Regulations, 2005, under the auspices of the Faculty of Theology.
(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -
"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Theology;
"the Course" means the course leading to the degree of Master of Arts - M.A. - under the auspices of the Faculty of Theology; and
"the Degree" means the degree of Master of Arts - M.A. - under the auspices of the Faculty of Theology.
Applicability
2. These regulations shall be applicable for courses starting in October 2003 or later.
Eligibility for the Degree
3. 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 Admission Requirements laid down in regulations 4 and 5;
(b) complete the appropriate course of studies, obtain the number of credits as indicated in regulation 8, 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 statues, regulations and bye-laws of the University.
Admission Requirements
4. The Course shall be open to applicants in possession of one of the following:
(a) a Bachelor's (Honours) degree with at least Second Class Honours in Theology or in any other area relevant to the proposed area of specialisation in the Course; or
(b) a Bachelor's degree with at least Category II in Theology as a main subject or in any other area relevant to the proposed area of specialisation in the Course; or
(c) a qualification considered by the Senate, on the recommendation of the Board, as equivalent to the qualifications in either (a) or (b).
5. (1) The Board shall require applicants in possession of the qualification indicated in paragraph (b) of regulation 4 to complete
successfully a number of study-units in addition to those prescribed for the Course either during the duration of the Course or during an additional period of studies as deemed appropriate by the Board.
(2) The Board may also require applicants whose degree is not in Theology as a main subject to complete successfully a number of study-units in addition to those prescribed for the Course either during the duration of the Course or during an additional period of studies as deemed appropriate by the Board.
Registration for the Course
6. Registration for the Course shall be made on the prescribed form and within the time specified by the Office of the Registrar.
Course Duration
7. (1) The Course shall extend over a period of twelve months of full-time study or their equivalent in part-time study.
(2) All part-time students shall be required to register at the beginning of each academic year.
Course Programme
8. (1) The Course may be offered in areas of specialisation within Theology, Pastoral Studies, Religious Studies or in Ethics, as determined by the Board and announced before the call for applications.
(2) The Course shall consist of taught and research components to which 75 ECTS credits shall be assigned as follows:
(a) research and the writing of a dissertation of 30,000 words, to which 60 ECTS credits are assigned, and study-units to which 15 ECTS credits are assigned; or
(b) a number of taught study-units to which 40 ECTS credits are assigned, and research and the writing of a dissertation of 20,000 words, to which 35 ECTS credits are assigned.
Catalogue of Study-Units
9. The Board shall draw up a programme of studies for each of the areas of specialization being offered, 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 Board shall publish the catalogue for the Course prior to its commencement, following the approval of Senate.
Progress and Assessment
10. (1) Study-units shall be assessed at the end of the semester in which they were held.
(2) Results for the assessment of 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.
Dissertation
11. (1) Students are required to submit a research proposal by the date indicated by the Board. Dissertations shall be submitted for examination within twelve months from the commencement of the Course or within twenty-four months if the Course has been followed on a part-time basis.
(2) The Board shall appoint a supervisor for each student. Students shall be required to report to their supervisors at least once every two months and, in addition, as often as the supervisors deem necessary. Supervisors may refer to the Board students whose work they consider unsatisfactory and shall refer for the approval of the Board any substantial modification in the title or content of the dissertation. No dissertation may be submitted to the Board of Examiners without a certificate, signed by the supervisor, confirming the work's originality and conformity with these regulations.
(3) Each dissertation shall be examined by a Board of Examiners composed of at least three members, one of whom shall normally be an external examiner from another university.
(4) Students shall be required to take a viva voce examination on their dissertation and on the general field of knowledge within which it falls. The external examiner need not be present for the viva voce examination, in which case the Board of Examiners shall be composed of four members.
(5) Students whose dissertation is found unsatisfactory may be allowed by the Board, on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners, to re-submit it in a revised form, within a period of not less than six months from the day on which it is referred back to them.
Final Result
12. (1) The final result shall take into account the performance of the students in the taught study-units and in the dissertation.
(2) 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.
