General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008

IN exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 74 (5) and 75 (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 75 and 79 of the said Act:

I. GENERAL

Citation and Interpretation

1. (1) These regulations may be cited as the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms used shall be taken to mean as indicated in the Glossary of Terms listed hereunder:

Glossary of Terms

Applicability

2. These regulations shall be applicable as from October 2008 for all courses leading to University Postgraduate Awards as indicated in regulation 3 and brought into force as bye-laws of these regulations.

Postgraduate Awards

3. The second cycle Postgraduate Awards governed by these regulations are the following:

(a) the Postgraduate Certificate;

(b) the Postgraduate Diploma; and

(c) the Master's degree.

Eligibility to offer Postgraduate Courses

4. (1) Postgraduate Courses shall be proposed by the Board duly authorised to offer Postgraduate Courses in that particular area of study and approved by Senate through bye-laws for the purpose.

(2) Postgraduate Courses may be offered jointly by more than one Board, in which case the Board of Studies appointed by Senate shall include representation from each Faculty.

5. Students shall be accepted to register for Masters' degrees by research after it is ascertained that the Faculty concerned can make available suitable facilities for the proposed research as well as supervisors who can provide regular supervision taking account of their (a) area of academic expertise as evident from the peer-reviewed record of publications, and (b) other commitments.

Eligibility for Postgraduate Awards

6. (1) To qualify for any Postgraduate Award, students must:

(a) be registered as regular students in a Postgraduate Course;

(b) complete the Postgraduate Course and satisfy any other requirements prescribed in these regulations and in the bye-laws for the Postgraduate Course;

(c) satisfy any other requirements prescribed in any other relevant statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the University, including applicable ethical, and health and safety procedures; and

(d) obtain not less than the number of credits at not below the level as indicated hereunder, including all credits for compulsory and elective study-units as specified in the Programme of Study and/or in the course bye-laws:

(2) Exceptionally, Senate may also approve Master's programmes to which 60 ECTS credits are assigned if such programmes are offered in partnership with prestigious higher education institutions and/or in the framework of international collaborative ventures.

(3) In accordance with the provisions of Statute 3, where the University, with the approval of Senate, enters into an agreement with other universities for the granting of a joint or double Postgraduate Award, then the Postgraduate Award may be given:

(a) in the case of a joint Postgraduate Award, jointly on one certificate by all the partner universities and shall be conferred at one of the partner universities as agreed among them; or

(b) in the case of a double Postgraduate Award, separately by each partner university.

Types of Master's Courses

7. (1) A Master's course may lead to three types of comparable awards as follows:

(a) a Master's degree obtained on successful completion of a Programme of Study that builds upon a first cycle degree in the same or related area of study, normally designated as Master of Arts or Master of Science or, where appropriate, Master of Philosophy;

(b) a Professional Master's degree obtained on successful completion of a Programme of Study that builds upon a first cycle professional degree in the same area of study and intended to develop further profession-related skills and knowledge, normally in an area of specialisation, and usually designated as Master of (subject); and

(c) a Conversion Master's degree obtained on successful completion of a Programme of Study that, whilst necessitating the broad academic preparation of a suitable first cycle degree, does not build upon a specific body of knowledge obtained in any particular first cycle degree course, designated as Master of (subject).

(2) A Master's course may be either mainly taught or mainly by research.

(3) All taught Masters' courses shall provide that students be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma on successful completion of taught study-units to which 60 credits are assigned if the students either opt not to proceed with the Postgraduate Course, or having proceeded, do not successfully complete the Master's course.

(4) Students who are awarded a Postgraduate Diploma may only be allowed to re-join a Postgraduate Course continuing towards a Master's degree after the lapse of two years from the award of the Postgraduate Diploma.

Requirements for Admission to Postgraduate Courses

8. (1) To be considered for admission to Postgraduate Courses in terms of these regulations, applicants must be in possession of a first cycle degree obtained from this University, or from any other university approved by Senate for this purpose, as indicated in these regulations and must satisfy any special course requirements indicated in the bye-laws for the Postgraduate Course.

(2) Admission to Master's and Professional Master's courses is through possession of a first cycle Honours degree classified at least at Second Class in an area of study relevant to the studies to be pursued in the Master's or Professional Master's course. Bye-laws may provide for the admission of applicants with a Third Class Honours degree if they are also in possession of other qualifications, including relevant experience, obtained following the first cycle degree.

(3) Admission to Conversion Master's courses is through possession of a first cycle degree classified at least at Second Class Honours or Category II.

(4) Applicants shall be accepted to register on courses with a major research component if their dissertation proposal falls within the research interests of the department and the department has the necessary resources to provide adequate supervision.

9. (1) Bye-laws for Master's and Professional Master's courses may provide that applicants in possession of an Ordinary Degree with at least Category II be admitted into a Preparatory Programme and they shall become eligible to join the appropriate Master's course on completion of the Preparatory Programme at the standard of at least Second Class Honours.

(2) Bye-Laws for Conversion Master's courses may provide that applicants in possession of an Honours degree classified at least at Third Class or of an Ordinary degree with at least Category III be admitted if they have obtained other qualifications, including relevant experience, following their first cycle degree.

10. (1) Admission to a Postgraduate Diploma course, when the course does not give automatic access to a Master's course, may be through possession of a first cycle degree obtained at least at either Third Class Honours or with Category III.

(2) Admission to a Postgraduate Certificate course, when the course does not give automatic access to a Master's course, may be through possession of any first cycle degree.

11. Bye-laws may provide that the Board may grant students full or partial exemption from the requirement of the Preparatory Programme if it is satisfied that the students possess post-first cycle qualification work experience that is relevant to the area of study of the Master's course.

12. Senate may approve bye-laws in terms of these regulations to provide for the admission of experienced professionals not in possession of formal academic qualifications into professional courses, consisting of not less than 60 credits for taught study-units.

13. All applicants shall be required to demonstrate that their standard of English is satisfactory, unless teaching, research and assessment is done in another language. The Admissions Board of the University may, from time to time, publish the qualifications that are acceptable for each level of University awards, including the level and grades required in the English proficiency qualification. The offer of a place on a Postgraduate Course may be made subject to the applicants obtaining such proficiency qualifications prior to the commencement of their studies.

Applications for Postgraduate Courses

14. Applications for taught Postgraduate Courses shall be made on the prescribed form and within the time specified by the Office of the Registrar.

15. For the Master's degree mainly by research, applications may be submitted at any time of the year but enrolment shall be with effect from one of the following dates: 1 October, 1 December, 1 February, 1 April and 1 June.

16. Applications for the Master's degree mainly by research shall be approved by the Board and shall include the following details:

(a) a provisional title for the dissertation;

(b) a research proposal, of at least 300 words; and

(c) a statement on whether the studies will be undertaken on a full-time or a part-time basis, and, in the latter case, the number of hours that shall be dedicated to this research work.

17. In the case of applicants from outside Malta, funding and visa requirements shall be taken into consideration when the application and research proposal are being considered.

Preparatory Programmes

18. Preparatory Programmes, when prescribed, shall be approved by Senate, on the recommendation of Board, and must include study-units to which not less than 30 credits are assigned for higher level undergraduate work in areas which are directly relevant to the area of study of the Master's course.

Duration of Postgraduate Courses

19. The duration of Postgraduate Courses shall be specified in the bye-laws for each course but shall extend over the following periods of full-time study:

(a) one semester for courses leading to a Postgraduate Certificate;

(b) two semesters for courses leading to a Postgraduate Diploma; and

(c) between three and four semesters for courses leading to Masters' degrees.

20. (1) The Board may grant students registered on Postgraduate Courses an extension of up to six months in order to enable them to complete their studies, irrespective of whether they are registered on a full-time or a part-time basis.

(2) In special circumstances and on the recommendation of the Board, Senate may grant students a further extension of up to two years in order to enable them to complete their studies, irrespective of whether they are registered on a full-time or a part-time basis.

Suspension of Studies

21. The Board may allow students, for a good and sufficient reason, to suspend their studies for a maximum period of twelve months, irrespective of whether they are registered on a full-time or a part-time basis. In such cases, the period of suspension of studies shall not be taken into consideration for calculating the period of registration in the Postgraduate Course in terms of the duration requirement.

Academic Calendar for Postgraduate Courses

22. (1) The academic calendar for Postgraduate Courses is given in the Glossary of Terms. The summer recess may however be shortened to two weeks in August in order to allow students to participate in a summer semester.

(2) Supplementary examinations shall be held either in September or, in exceptional circumstances, at the next scheduled session of examinations.

Attendance

23. Unless otherwise specified in the bye-laws of a Postgraduate Course, or expressly stated in the description of a study-unit as published in the catalogue of study-units, attendance for lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical or clinical sessions or work placements, fieldwork and any other teaching session in whatever mode is obligatory. Unauthorised absence may lead to the student being declared ineligible for assessment of a study-unit, in which case a 0 mark and an F grade shall be assigned and recorded.

Dissertations

24. (1) All Master's programmes shall include the writing of a dissertation, to which not less than 30 credits shall be assigned.

(2) The supervision of students for the dissertation shall be regulated by the provisions of regulation 51.
(3) In the case of dissertations assigned more than 30 credits, the provisions of regulations 51 and 52 shall apply.

(4) Dissertations shall be assessed according to the provisions of regulations 53 and 54.

(5) Before graduating, students shall present three hard bound copies of the dissertation to the Department, one of which shall be retained in the University library.

Ethical Approval of Research Programmes

25. Any research undertaken by students which involves direct contact with patients or healthy participants, whether clinical, biomedical or social research, or the secondary use of existing human materials or specimens, or involving animals must be subject to ethical review. Such review must be undertaken by the Research Ethics Committee appointed by Senate for the purpose. These research proposals shall first be considered by the Board who shall submit the proposal to the Research Ethics Committee. The Board shall only accept such applications if the Research Ethics Committee has given its approval.

Language of Dissertations

26. (1) Dissertations for all Postgraduate Awards shall be written in English, except that dissertations in areas of study involving a language may be written in that language.

(2) However, a Board may allow students to write their dissertation in any other language provided that the Board has ascertained, to the satisfaction of Senate, that the University has the necessary expertise to supervise and examine the work. In such cases, students shall be required to include a translation of the Abstract in English.

Assessment of Study-Units - Marking and Grading

27. Examiners shall express the students' performance in the assessment of all study-units, including the dissertation, as a percentage mark and grade as indicated in the table below. Both the percentage mark and the letter grade shall be recorded in the students' academic record. The percentage mark only is used for the purpose of calculating the students' progress and for the award classification.

Re-assessment of Study-Units

28. (1) A failed taught study-unit may be re-assessed once only, under those conditions as provided for in the bye-laws for the Postgraduate Course. If successful, the maximum mark/grade that can be awarded shall be 45% / Grade E.

(2) Students shall not be allowed to be re-assessed for a study-unit if they have already been awarded credit for it.

(3) Students who, after reassessment, fail to obtain credit for any study-unit shall be required to withdraw from the Postgraduate Course.

Re-admission to a Postgraduate Course

29. When students are required by the provisions of these regulations to withdraw from a Postgraduate Course, they shall not be allowed re-admission into the same course before the lapse of three years from withdrawing and thereafter may only be re-admitted by permission of Senate, given on the recommendation of the Board.

Progression and Annual Enrolment for Postgraduate Courses

30. (1) Students registered on taught programmes shall be allowed to enrol for the following year if they obtain all the credits for the year. Students registered on programmes mainly by research shall be allowed to enrol for the following year subject to a satisfactory progress report from their Principal Supervisor.

(2) Students are required to enrol at the commencement of the Postgraduate Course and at the beginning of each academic year throughout their period of study, whether they are following a mainly taught programme or a mainly research programme.

31. Bye-laws for a Postgraduate Course may provide that progression from one year to the next or progression from the taught component to the research component be subject to a minimum average mark to be indicated in the bye-laws.

Classification of Postgraduate Awards

32. There shall be an Award Classification Board for each Postgraduate Course.

33. (1) For mainly taught programmes, the Award Classification Board shall be composed of at least three members, including the Dean/Director, or delegate, as chairman, the course co-ordinator, and at least one other member appointed by the Board.

(2) In the case of programmes mainly by research, the Board of Examiners appointed as in regulation 55 shall act as the Award Classification Board.

34. (1) Postgraduate Certificates shall be awarded unclassified.

(2) Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees may be awarded in any of the following classifications:

       Pass with Distinction
       Pass with Merit
       Pass.

35. The classification of Postgraduate Awards shall be determined by the Award Classification Board on the basis of a Final Weighted Average Mark obtained by taking into account the individual marks obtained in each study-unit as well as the credit value of the study-units,
provided that bye-laws may allow for the credits assigned to the dissertation to be weighted by a factor of not more than 1.5.

36. (1) The Award Classification Board shall consult the following guidelines when deciding upon the final classification of Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters' degrees:

(2) Students whose Final Average Weighted Mark is between 0 and 49% shall be considered to have failed to qualify for a Postgraduate Award.

(3) The Award Classification Board, at its own discretion, may award the Postgraduate Award with a higher classification than that indicated in paragraph (1) of this regulation to students whose Final Weighted Average Mark is up to three marks less than the minimum for the category. In such cases the Award Classification Board is required to minute the decision and the justification for it.

(4) The Award Classification Board, at its own discretion, may also award a Postgraduate Award with a lower category than that indicated in paragraph (1) of this regulation. In such cases, the Award Classification Board is required to obtain the authorisation of the Board that shall minute the decision and the justification for it. The students concerned may appeal to Senate against the decision within 15 days of the publication of the classification.

II. TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE AWARDS

Programmes of Study for Mainly Taught Postgraduate Awards

37. (1) Programmes of Study shall be proposed by one or more than one department jointly, and shall be approved by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board.

(2) Programmes of Study shall be co-ordinated by the head of department or another member of staff appointed for the purpose by the Board.

38. Programmes of Study shall be published before the commencement of each Postgraduate Course, normally not less than 3 months before its commencement. Programmes of Study shall include all the study-units, indicating which study-units are compulsory or elective, and the order in which the units shall be followed.

Study-units

39. Study-units shall be proposed by the Department or a number of departments responsible for the teaching of the area/areas of study in the Postgraduate Course and approved by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board.

40. Study-units shall be assigned a code by the Office of the Registrar in accordance with the principles listed in Schedule 1 - System of Assigning Codes for Study-Units ­ - attached to the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004, published as Legal Notice 127 of 2004.

41. Study-units in all Postgraduate Courses shall normally be offered at level five. Each taught study-unit shall normally be assigned not less than five credits and not more than 30 credits, preferably in multiples of five credits.

42. All study-units shall be assigned a credit value in terms of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System and credits shall be awarded to students who pass the assessment for the unit.

43. The method of assessment for each study-unit shall be indicated in the study-unit description and published in the catalogue of study-units. If the method of assessment comprises more than one assessment component, the % weighting of each component shall be given. Students shall be awarded the credits for a unit if they obtain an overall pass mark for the unit as a whole.

44. The same study-units cannot be counted towards two separate Postgraduate Awards unless one qualification is considered by Senate to be an interim qualification in the normal progression to the other, higher level, qualification, provided that a Board of Studies may exempt a student from the attendance requirement of a compulsory study-unit credit for which was obtained towards another award, although such a student shall still be required to be assessed in the unit.

45. Credits awarded for study-units may not normally be used towards an award after seven years have elapsed from the successful completion of the unit.

Registration for Study-Units

46. Students shall register for the study-units prescribed in their Programme of Study within the time specified by the Office of the Registrar. They shall not be considered as students on a study-unit unless they have so registered.

Boards of Examiners for Taught Study-Units

47. Taught study-units shall be examined by a Board of Examiners composed of not less than 3 persons, including a chairman who shall not be teaching the unit, and the lecturer/s teaching the unit.

III. POSTGRADUATE AWARDS BY RESEARCH

Programmes of Study for Master's Degree mainly by Research

48. The Master’s degree obtained mainly by research shall require students to register for at least two study-units, one of which a study-unit consisting of supervised research work leading to the writing of a dissertation, to which not less than 60 credits are assigned.

49. Students registered for Masters’ degrees mainly by research may be allowed to participate in joint research projects where data generated jointly by a group of researchers is used for the writing of a dissertation, provided that each student writes a separate dissertation.

Supervision of Masters' Dissertations

50. (1) In Masters' degrees mainly by research, the Board shall appoint one Principal Supervisor for each student.  

(2) If the nature/topic of research requires the input of another specialist, the Board may appoint a co-supervisor, in which case the two supervisors shall meet the student together to decide how they will divide their responsibility for advice and how future meetings are to be arranged.

(3) When a co-supervisor is appointed, the Principal Supervisor shall retain the ultimate responsibility of leadership in supervision.

(4) Principal Supervisors shall be responsible for providing guidance to students under their care in the following areas:

(a) assisting students to select and elaborate a research problem and to formulate a written proposal for their dissertation;

(b) offering ideas and providing guidance and encouragement on the planning and progress of research, submission of the dissertation and publication of results;

(c) providing or arranging instruction in research methodology, including use of information technology;

(d) guiding students in acquiring and improving appropriate generic skills, including written and oral communication, numeracy, decision-taking and organisational and management skills; and

(e) any other matters which require the attention of the Board or Senate.

(5) Principal Supervisors shall meet students regularly to review progress. Meetings may be substituted by other means of communication.

51. Bye-laws shall establish methods and stipulate procedures for the effective monitoring of students' progress throughout their studies. These shall include measures to ensure that:

(a) written progress reports are submitted regularly by Principal Supervisors to an appropriate faculty/departmental committee or panels of supervision for individual students or groups of students; such reports may include a recommendation either to (a) grant an extension of the study period in order to enable the student to complete the dissertation; or (b) to terminate the studies prematurely if the relevant faculty/departmental committee deems this to be proper in the circumstances; provided that for (a), the period of extension of studies shall be according to regulation 18; and for (b), the student may appeal his case before Senate within 15 days from the notice of termination.

(b) substantial modification of title or content of dissertation, requests for extension of studies or suspension of studies are considered and decided upon expeditiously;

(c) students' research is not hindered or impeded in unforeseeable circumstances, such as when a supervisor is absent for a long period; and

(d) requests by students about matters relating to their studies (including a request to change their Principal Supervisor if there are serious reasons) are adequately considered.

Assessment of Dissertations for Master's Degree

52. (1) Dissertations presented for a Master's Degree shall:

(a) be work of an advanced or original nature in the area of study;

(b) satisfy the Board of Examiners as regards content and presentation; and

(c) fulfil the requirements as provided by relevant bye-laws and guidelines as regards format and length.

(2) Prior to submission, the student shall seek the written permission of the Principal Supervisor, which shall be attached to the dissertation, provided that a student may opt to submit his dissertation notwithstanding any negative advice from the Principal Supervisor.

(3) No dissertation shall be accepted which is identical in substance to a document already submitted for a degree in this or any other university or to any other published material. Students shall not, however, be precluded from incorporating such previous work as may be necessary to the presentation and fuller understanding of their exposition, provided that the nature and extent of such incorporation are clearly indicated in the dissertation itself.

53. (1) After examining the dissertation, the Board of Examiners may approve it unconditionally or subject to correction of minor errors to the satisfaction of the Principal Supervisor and admit the student to an oral examination.

(2) If the Board of Examiners is not satisfied with the quality of the dissertation, it shall not admit the student to an oral examination and shall either:

(a) refer the dissertation back to the student for major revision and resubmission within six months in revised form to the satisfaction of the Board of Examiners; or

(b) not grant permission to resubmit and state that the degree be not awarded.

(3) Students who fail to satisfy the Board of Examiners in the oral examination may be given permission to re-submit the dissertation after making changes as necessary and be re-examined orally within a period of six months. Such permission shall be granted once only.

Boards of Examiners for Dissertations

54. (1) Dissertations submitted for the award of a Master's Degree shall be assessed by a Board of Examiners appointed by Senate for the purpose, on the recommendation of the Board.

(2) The Board of Examiners shall be composed of at least four members and shall normally include an external examiner from an overseas institution.

(3) The Board of Examiners shall require students to defend their dissertation orally before it. The external examiner need not be present for the oral defence but not less than 3 members of the Board of Examiners shall conduct the oral examination.

(4) The Board of Examiners shall follow any procedures stipulated in guidelines for the assessment of dissertations for Masters’ degrees, approved by Senate.

Teaching and Demonstration Work

55. (1) Students registered for a Master’s degree mainly by research may be required to assist lecturing staff in the Faculty’s teaching activities for up to a maximum of 100 hours a year, provided that these duties do not conflict with their research work and that students may be exempted from this requirement for a good and valid reason.

(2) The criteria used in assigning such duties to students shall be equitable and transparent.

(3) Students involved in teaching shall be assigned an academic mentor to whom they may turn for advice. They shall also be provided with advice and facilities to ensure that they may teach effectively. Students involved in such teaching activities shall be provided with instruction and guidance, including relevant health and safety training.

(4) For such work, students shall be remunerated at standard rates as approved by the University.

Publication

56. Students shall acknowledge the contribution of their supervisor/s and of any other members of staff or students in any published material or presentation in accordance with international guidelines on authorship.

57. Supervisors shall acknowledge students' contributions in any published material or presentation which involves work performed by students.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

58. Copyright of the dissertation remains with the student. All other intellectual property rights embodied in dissertations are owned by the University. The physical copies of the dissertations submitted for examination become the property of the University

59. Students must abide by the University's Policy on Intellectual Property insofar as it pertains to the allocation of income from intellectual property rights.

Confidentiality Agreements

60. (1) Confidentiality agreements with sponsoring or funding bodies should be identified by students and agreed by the Principal Supervisor and notified to the Board.

(2) Where a student or the University wishes the dissertation to remain confidential after completion of the programme of research, a request for approval must normally be made to the Board at the time the application is being considered. The period approved shall not normally exceed two years from the publication of the result. However, in cases where publication of the dissertation would prove detrimental to the student or the University or the sponsor or the funding body, a further period may be approved.

Special Provisions for Part-Time Courses

61. (1) A Board may, from time to time, offer students the opportunity to follow a Postgraduate Course on a part-time basis in areas of study which shall be indicated before the commencement of each Course.

(2) The provisions of the foregoing regulations shall apply mutatis mutandis to courses followed on a part-time basis, and subject to such changes as may reasonably be deemed by the relevant Board as necessary due to the part-time nature of the Course.

(3) Students may be allowed to follow a course on a part-time basis, in which case the time spent in part-time study shall, unless otherwise stated in the bye-laws for the course or unless in special circumstances specific arrangements are agreed in writing by the Board with the student, count as half that required in the case of full-time study.