191 tal-1997

L.N.191 of 1997

ED UC ATION ACf

(CAP. 327)

Bachelor of Sciencc - 8 $1'. and Uac helor of Science (Honours) •

USc. (Hons.) · ill Informatics, Computer Science and Computer

Systems Enginee ring, Degree Course Rl'g ulutions, 1997

IN exereise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 30(5)

and 31(6) of the Educ:llion Act (Cap. 327), thc Chancellor of the

University of Malta has promulgat ed the following regu latiolls made

by the Scmllt: of tile University of M:llta by virtue oftht: powers conferred

upon it by sections 31 and 35 of the said Act

Cita tion and interpreta tion

I. (1) These rcg ulations may be cited as the Bachelor of Scicnce . B.Sc. and

Ba-;helor of Science (Honou rs)· B.Sc. (Hons.)· in Informatics,Computer Scicncc and

Computcr Systems Engi nccri ng, Degree Coursc Regulations, 1997.

In these regUlations, un lcss thc conte)';t otherwise requi res·

(2)

"the Board" means the Board of Studies for Information Technology appointed

by Senate from members for the Depanmems of Computer lnfonmllion Systems,

Computer Sciences and Art ificial Intelligence and Communications and Computer

Engineering;

" the Degree" e)'; ce pt where this text is used spec ifically in relation to the ordinary

B.Sc. dcgree: refcrred to in these regu lat ions mcans thc Degrec of Bachelor of Sciencc

(Honouri) . B.Sc . (Hons.) - (Information or Com putcr Science or Com puter Systems

Enginecring).

"the Course" means the Course leading to the Degree.

Applicubility

These regulations shall be applicable to courses start ing in October 1995 Of

2,

later.

Eligibility for the I>eg rct'

( 1)

Dawn ir-regolamentijistghu jissejhll r. Regolamenti ta' 1· 1997 lal · Kors

ghall·Grad la' Bachelor of Science· B.Sc .. uta' Bachelor of Science (Honou rs) in

lnfomlat ies, Computer Science and Computer System. Engineering .

F'dawn ir.regolamenti, kemm il-darba r· mbta tal· kliem ma tehtieg.1.

(2)

.1.on' ohm·

"il-Bord" ifisser il -OOrd la' l-lstudji ghal1-lnfom13lion Technology mahtur mis-

Senat mill·membri tad.Dipartiment tal-Computer Information Syste ms. Computer

Science u Anificial lntelligence u Communications u Compute r Engineering;

"ii-Grad", hlief fejn dan it-temlinu huwa wiat spccifikament in k Ollnes,~joni gha ll ·

grad ordinarju ta' B,Sc, imsemmi f da wn ir-regolamenti, ifisser il ·GT'Jd ta' Bachelor

of Science (Honours) - B.Sc. (Hons.) - (Informatics jew Computer Science jew

Computer Systems Engineering);

"il-Kors" ifisser il·Kors Ii jwassaJ ghall ·Grad.

Applikabilita

Dawn ir.regolarncnti japplikaw ghall.korsijiet mibdija rOuubm 1995 jew

wara.

Eligibilita ghall.Grad

To be eligible for the Degree a candid:lIe must

(a) be registered asa reg lilarstudent in the Course in tenns of the Admission

Regulations orthe un ive rsity;

(b) complete the cou~ of studies, qualify in the examinations and satisfy

any other requiremenlS prescribed in these regulations; aoo

(c) satisfy any other requiremen ts prescribed in any OIher relcvant statutcs

and regu lations of the University ,

RegiJ;tration a nd special course rcquiN!m cnts

4 . ( I) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this regulation, to be

registcred as a regular student in the Course acandidate must , in addition to the general

entry requiremenlS specified in the Admission Regulations of the Universi ty,

(a) for courses ' tan ing in 1995 and 1996, be in possession of two

passes at Advanced Matricuhuion IC\'el al gradc C Of bener in -

(i) Pure Mathematics. aoo

(i i) Another subject from the following list

Computing

App lied mathematics

Economics

Chemistry

Philosophy

Infonnation Technology

Biology

English

Music

Physics

(b) for courscs staning in October 1997 or later, have obtained a pass

with Credit or Distinction in Pure Mathematics and an(){her SUbject included in the list

shown in sub-paragraph (a) (ii ) of the paragraph above, or as approved by the board,

taken at Advanced Level as pan of the Matriculation Certificate Examination .

(2) A Cllndidate, who is a gradullIe of a University or has OI:herqualiflCations

considered to be suffldent. may be exempted by the universi ty Admissions Board. on

the advice of the hoard of Studies Admissio ns Comm ittee, from the whole Of part of

these special course requiremenlS.

Cou~ stru cture

( I) The Course shall norma ll y extend over a period of four years of full -

time study, and shall be divided into two pans: Pan One and Pan T ..... o .

(2) In lhe first IWO years (Pan One),11 suite of uni ls will be offered covering

lnfonnalics, Computcr Scicncc,and Computcr Systcms Engi neering IOgclher wi lh some

B 14 16

com plementary compulsory un its in miscellaneous subjects suc h as M:l1hematics,

Statistics, Operations Research, and Managemem . The aim of the first year is to give a

brood perspectiveofvarioos cortCepts infonnation Technology and how they interrelate

the first year un its are referred to as Introductory Un its. The second year refines the

spirit of the first by exposing stude nts to foundation topics in some detail . Second yea r

un its are referred to as Intcrmedi:lIe Units.

(3) By the end of the second year candidates must decide on a specifIC

stream: Informatics, Computer Science .or Computer Systems Engi nee ring. In the th ird

and founh years (Pan two) a candidate shall be expected to concentrate on the specific

stream chosen as specified in parngraph (6) of this regulation . Pan IWO units are referred

to as Ad vanced units. Ad vanced un its are three-credit uni ts di vided into two partS: the

fi rst , wonh one credit. is covered ill Ihe third year (year I of Pan Two). the second

wonh tWO credits, in the founh year (year 2 of Part T wo).

(4) The Deb'!"ee shall be qualified by the Ilame of tile stream chose n at the

end o f the second ye ar: Informatics . com pute r Science. or Com puter Sys tems

Engineering.

(5 ) 1be Depanments ofComputer Informati on Systems, Computer Science

and Artificial Intelligence . and Communication and Computer Engineering shall be

responsible. respectivel y, for lhe Informatics, Computer Science, and Computer SYSle nlS

Engineering srrcams.

(6) The Course shall consist of study- uni ts 10 which nO( less Ihan l04credits

shall be assigned as follows

(a) in the first year. 28 credits: 18 credits for Introductory Uni1S,4

eredits for complementary compulsory units and six optional eredils one of which may

be an elltra-c umcuJar credit

(b) in the second year, 29 credits: 22 credits for Intermedinte Units,

6 credits forco mplemenla1)' compulsory un its and an oplional credit which may be an

e xt ra-c urricular credit

(c) in the th ird year. 25 c red its: 12 of whic h a re ass igned for

parti cular tasks in the chose n Stream , a minimum o f 6 credits for the first pan of

Advanced uni ts obtained in the chose n stream . 6 credits oblained from amongst firsl

part of Ad vanced Units of any stream and an optiona l credit which may be an elltr.l-

curricular credit: and

(d) in Ihe fourth year, 22 credits: 10 of which obtained for an

elltensive project in the choscll stream as approved by the respective Departme nt

responsi ble . 8 or 10 credits for the second part of Ad vanced Units in the c hosen stream

an d the remaining 4 or 2 credits for lhe second pan of Advanced Units in any stream

other than the one chosen by the sluden t on emry 10 Part Two of the Course.

(7) The Board shall draw up a catalogue of study-units for each year of the

Course. The Catalogue shall indicate the credits assigned to each stud y- unit. wh ich

units are compulsory and which units need pre-requisites. The boord shall publish the

catalogue prior to the Commencement of each academic yea r.

(8) The Board may exempt a candidate from the requirement of obtain ing

credits in a study -unit if he has obI:ained from the Universi ty ,oran inst itution recognised

by Senate for the purpose. a qualification Ihe study for which is. in the opinion o f the

Board . at least equivalent in coment and standard to that required for the st udy-uni t

concerned.

(9) A candidate may nOl complete the Course ea rlier than four years or

late r than five years from first registratio n. except in special circumstances wi th the

pennission of Senate, acting on the adv ice of the Board.

(10) Eac h year of the Co urse shall comprise two semestcrs of study. and.

except in the third and foun h year, by a period of not less than fou r weeks of work in

the Information Technology industry as advised by the Board.

Assessnu:nt and progress

(1) Credits shall be assigned accord ing to the following grades in descending

order of meri t: A, B. C, 0 and F where F indicates fail . The grades shall ta ke imo

account the candidate's performance in courscwork. oral and written tests as deemed

appcopriate by the hoard on the advice of the respective Depanment responsible.

(2) Candidates who. in any year. fail slUdy units 10 which more than 8

credits are assigned, will nOI be allollo'ed to proceed to the next year of the coufSC.

(3) A candidate who is not restricted from proceeding unde r the last

preceding paragraph and who fails to obtain the credit(s) for a study -unit in the first

session shall be allowed to be re-assessed in that stud y- unit only once. In the re-

assessment the grade awarded cannot exceed grade D.

(4) A candidate who. afte r re -assessmerll. fa ils in four or more credits or

fails to successfull y complete any compulsory study-unit shall not be allowed to proceed

10 the next year.

Supplementary written tests shall be held only in September.

(.5)

(6) A candidate who fails 10 satisfy the requi rements to proceed to the next

year of the Course shall be allowed to repeat the study programme for the year, provided

that he has not alread y repeated a year during the Course (e xcept in extraordinary

circumstances with the opproval of Senate).

(7)

Candidates who are allowed to repeat a \'ear may at the discreti on of

B 141 8

the Board be cxempfed from being re-assessed in study-units for which they ha\'e

obtained a credit durin g the failo..-d year.

(8) In Part One candidates shall be tested in study- un its completed in a

semester at the end of that semester.

(9) A candidate shall be allowed to proceed to part two if he has obtained

a minimum of 53 of the 57 credits prescribed in sub-paragraph (a) and (b) of paragraph

(6) of regulation 5. including all the compulsory credits . Moreo\'CT, the cand idate must

ha\'e completed to the satisfaction of the board at least 8 weeks of work in the I.T.

industry as advised by the Board .

( 10)

In the first year of Part Two (the thi rd year). candidates shal l

(a) obtain the twclve credits allocated to assigned practical tasks

intcnded 10 bring together practical skills in some chosen stream. Grades shall be

assigned accord ing to theq ualityofa written repon documenting the attempt at fulfilling

the tasks . the quali ty of any implemented artefacts or results obtained and candidate's

perfomlance in an oral test related to the subject-matter covered by the tas ks;

(b) obtain a mi nimum of8 of the 12 credits assigned to study-units

accord ing to performance ill writte n tests. Stud y·u nits completed in a semester shall be

tested at the end of that semester.

(II) A cand idate who fails 10 satisfy the examiners in the practical tasks

may. at the discretion of the Board , be re-examined through a viva-voce. If successful ,

the maximum grade that can be awarded shall be grade D. lf unsuccessful. the candidarc

will fail the degree irrespective of perforrnanee in written papers unless he still has the

option to repeat the year and chooses to do so.

(12) A candidate who fa ils in more than fou r credits of tile third year s{Udy-

units shall fail the Degree unless he still has the option to rcpeUlthe year and chooses

to do so. There will be no res ists for th ird year credits.

( 13) The performance of a candidate who meets the requ irements in

parngraph ( 10) of Ihis reg ulation shall be detennined by the a\'erage pcrfonnance in

the credits co \'ered in the first lhree years. Candid3les who obtain an a\'cmge grade B

or belter in the study-u nits of the selected stream take n in the th ird year of the Course

and an avernge Grade C or beller in all thc other st udy-units covered in the first three

years of the Course shall be eligible to proceed to the founh year of the Course. A list

of those Candidates who are so eligible shall be pu blished, If willing to proceed these

candidates shall register their in tent wi thin three days from the publication of the list.

(1 4) Third year cand idat es who are not eligible or who do not wish to

proceed to the fou rth year will sit for a synoptic examination comprising three three-

hou r papers towards an om inary B.Sc. dcgree which shall be classified in descending

order of merit : categories I. II A, liB . III and Fail . These synoptic examillations shall be

Il 14 19

given a SOCJ, weighting in this classification while the performance in credilSdetermined

under paragraph ( 13) of th is regu lation shall be allocated the othe r 50%.

( 15)

In the second year of pan Two (the foun h year), candidaleS shall

(a) obtain the ten credits Ill loellled to the projo.'Ct in lhei r chosen stream

and grades shall be assigned according to the quali ty of a written project rcpan and the

quality of any implemented andacts or results

(b) pass in si x t .... ·o·hourexarnination papers, one for each Advanced

Unil they havc chose n and each Ad vanced Unit ass umes thHt the candidate has covered

a !.'eTtain numher of pre·requi site Introductory and Intennediate Units, therefore the

examination papers in the founh year shall be syoolMic in the sense that the y will

assume knowledge of related material coveret.l in Part One IlI1d the first year of Part

T ..... o.

A candidme who fails to s:IIisfy the examirlCrs in the project may, at

(1 6)

the disc retion of the Board, be allowed to re·submit the project or to complete some

other appropriate task by nOllater than the end of Septcmber of that year. If successful,

the maximum grade that can be awarded shall be grade D.

( 17) A candidate who fail s in nOl more than IWO writtcn examinati ons may

be re-examined through a viva,voce. If a C311didate fails to satisfy the cxaminers in the

viva voce or if a candidate has failed in more than two written examinations, then he

rna; repeal the year if he still has !hal option.

( 18)

Any candidate who fail s to Salisfy the requirements presc ribed in

paragmph ( IS) of th is regulation des pite the provisions of paragraphs ( 16) and ( 17) of

the same regulation dcspitc the provisions and who has previously ex hausted the option

to repeat the year shall nOl be awarded the Degree . In this case , the candidate 's average

performance in the final ycar synopt ic examinlllions and project shall be suitably

mode11lted by the Board and given a 50% weighling. and the end of credilteslS in the

first three years ..... ill be gi\'e n the remaining 50'1> ..... eighting in delermining the

classification for an ordinary B.Sc. degree within the categories listed in paragraph

( 14) of th is regu 1ation.

( 19) For the purposes o f the Degree classification the final year synolMic

examinat ions and projecl shall ha\'c a 70% ..... eighting while the credit teslS shall have

a 30% weighting .

Rcs ulls and awa rd of Oegr ee

The Degree shall be a ..... arded to candidates who

(1)

(a) have obIained not less than 96 credits througOOu t the Course

(bJ havc successfully co mpletcd all the study. units indicated as

compul sory by the Board: and

(e)

have satisfied c llamination requ ireme nts.

(2) The names of all candidates who qualify for the award of the Degree

shall be publ ished in a lisl in alphabetical ordcr in one of the classifications

First Class Honours

Second Class Honours (U pper Division)

Second Class Honours (Lower Division)

Third Class Honours.

IppuhbIibI mi:l-DipMimm II' 1.ln/imllllpO _ J. P}aulI Ka$IiI,. _ PIJJIi:JotJ ",. rio- DtpoIo '. ,. if h(omtatitM 1. ~ PIon.

M i.bugh n. lotampcnja tal-{;"tm _ Primtd." IN GoI_~", Prim;.., Prr ..

full; 14<: - Priu /4e