Course Regulations, 2003

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L.N. 185 of 2003

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Doctor of Music - D.Mus. - and Master of Music - M.Mus. - Degrees

Course Regulations, 2003

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) These regulations may be cited as the Doctor of Music - D.Mus.

and Master of Music - M.Mus. - Degrees Course Regulations, 2003.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -

“the Board” means the Board of the Mediterranean Institute;

“the Committee” means the M.Phil. / Ph.D. Committee appointed by

Senate;

“the Degrees” means the Degrees of Doctor of Music - D.Mus. - and

Master of Music - M.Mus. ; and

“the Institute” means the Mediterranean Institute.

Applicability

These regulations shall be applicable from October 2002 onwards.

Award of the Degrees

(1) The D.Mus. degree shall be awarded to students who satisfy all

the criteria in any one of the following areas of specialisation

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(a) by composition: successfully present and defend a portofolio of

new and original compositions that includes large scale work such as opera

or oratorio during a viva voce examination; or

(b) by performance: successfully present at least four public

recitals (that must include large scale works with orchestra), at least two

chamber music performances, and the successful defence of a dissertation

on the subject of performance during a viva voce examination.

(2) The M.Mus. degree shall be awarded to students who satisfy

all the criteria in any one of the following areas of specialisation

(a) by composition: successfully present a portofolio of new and

original compositions followed by a viva voce examination; or

(b) by performance: successfully present at least two public

recitals, at least one chamber music performance, and successfully defend a

dissertation on the subject of performance during a viva voce examination.

Committee appointed by Senate

The Committee appointed by Senate in terms of the Doctor of

Philosophy - Ph.D. - and Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - Degrees Course

Regulations shall also be entrusted with the responsibility for these Degrees.

Registration for Degrees

Applications for registration for the Degrees shall be accepted by

Senate, on the recommendations of the Board and of the Committee.

(1) The Committee shall consider applications for the D.Mus.

degree from candidates who possess a Master of Music degree of this or

another University or qualifications of comparable standard recognised for

this purpose by the Senate.

(2) The Committee shall consider applications for the M.Mus.

degree from candidates who possess

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(a) a good Honours degree in Music Studies (not below Second

Class) of this or another University or qualifications of comparable standard

recognised for this purpose by the Senate; or

(b) a Bachelor’s degree in Music Studies (Category II or higher) or

qualifications of comparable standard recognised for this purpose by the

Senate, provided that such candidates shall be required, in addition to

satisfying any other special conditions laid down by the Board, to follow a

Preparatory Course extending over one year of full-time study or its

equivalent in part-time study and to complete the course at the standard of at

least Second Class Honours. The study-units shall normally be from the

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Music Studies Programme.

(3) Applications for the Degrees shall include the following

(a) the proposed title of the project;

(b) a detailed research proposal, normally of approximately 1000

words, that includes the compositional tools and techniques in the case of

the Degrees by composition, and the analytical tools and performance

practices in the case of the Degrees by performance;

(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 will

be dedicated to this research work;

(d) the name of a member of staff of the University who has agreed

to act as supervisor, and in special cases, the name of a member of staff of

this or another University or of a specialist who has agreed to act as co-

supervisor; and

(e) a recommendation from the Co-ordinator of the Music Studies

Programme that the topic of research is acceptable.

(4) The Committee shall submit to Senate all applications which

satisfy the requirements under paragraphs (1) to (3) of this regulation.

Senate may accept such applications and may impose such conditions as it

deems fit.

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Duration of Studies

(1) Studies for the D.Mus. degree shall extend over the following

periods

(a) not less than three years and not more than five years in the case

of full-time studies; and

(b) not less than four years and not more than eight years (which

should normally include one year of full-time study) in the case of part-time

studies.

(2) The presentation of the works outlined in paragraph (2) of

regulation 3 for the D.Mus. degree shall not be considered if submitted later

than the maximum period allowed in paragraph (1) of this regulation, unless

in special circumstances, on the recommendation of the Board and the

Committee, the Senate grants students an extension of studies beyond the

maximum period.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-paragraph (a) of

paragraph (1) of this regulation, in exceptional circumstances, the Senate,

on the recommendation of the Board and the Committee, may give

permission for the presentation of a final concert, the portofolio of

compositions and the dissertation for the D.Mus. degree after the equivalent

of two years of full-time study have expired from the date of first registration.

(1) Studies for the M.Mus. degree shall extend over the following

periods

(a) not less than 15 months and not more than 3 years in the case of

full-time study; and

(b) not less than 30 months and not more than 5 years in the case of

part-time studies.

(2) The presentation of the works outlined in paragraph (2) of

regulation 3 for the M.Mus. degree shall not be considered if submitted later

than the maximum period allowed in paragraph (1) of this regulation, unless

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in special circumstances, on the recommendation of the Board and the

Committee, the Senate grants students an extension of studies beyond the

maximum period.

Annual Registration

(1) Students are required to register at the Institute at the

beginning of each academic year throughout their period of study.

(2) Such registration shall be allowed only on the submission of a

satisfactory progress report from the student’s supervisor.

Submission of Portofolio of Composition/s or Performance Programme and

Dissertation

(1) Not less than three months before the intended date of

submission, students shall apply to the Board for permission to present the

portofolio of composition/s or performance programme and dissertation.

Before giving permission, the Board shall consult the students’ supervisor

and shall ascertain that the period of study conforms with that stipulated in

regulations 7 and 8.

(2) When submitting a portofolio of composition/s students shall

(a) submit a signed declaration that the portofolio is their own

personal work, and that the greater portion of the work has been done after

their registration for the Degree;

(b) if a part of the portofolio of composition/s has already been

submitted for another degree or qualification or the portofolio has been

independently published, a statement to this effect shall be included with it,

and the Board of Examiners shall recommend to Senate whether the

portofolio should be accepted for examination or not.

(3) The dissertations must on no account have already been

submitted for any degree or diploma elsewhere, and must not have been

published independently by the student, entirely or substantially.

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Examination of Portofolio of Composition/s or Performance Programme and

Dissertation

The portofolio of composition/s for these Degrees shall be

examined by a Board of Examiners appointed for the purpose by Senate on

the recommendation of the Board.

The Board of Examiners for the Degrees shall consist of at least

three examiners, including a Chairman, an external examiner and another

member, provided that the viva voce examination shall be conducted by at

least three examiners, and provided that the supervisor is precluded from

being an examiner but is invited to attend as an observer during the viva

voce examination. (Clear recordings of the performance [authenticated by

examiners] must be available for the non-visiting external examiner.)

(1) Students shall be required to defend their portofolio orally

before the Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners shall submit a final

report to Senate stating whether the student should be admitted to the

degree,

provided that, in the case of an M.Mus. portofolio, if the external examiner is

unable to take part in the final deliberations of the Board of Examiners

because of his being abroad, it shall be lawful for the other members of the

Board of Examiners to take decisions in his absence so long as any views

he may have expressed in writing are taken into consideration and the final

decision is acceptable to him.

(2) In the case of performance, the dissertation must be examined

before the actual final performance takes place.

(1) After examining the portofolio of composition/s, the Board of

Examiners may refer it back to the student for revision prior to his defending

the portofolio.

(2) In the case indicated in paragraph (1) of this regulation, the

student shall apply to the Board for permission to submit the revised

portofolio for examination. The Board shall be guided in its decision by the

recommendations of the Board of Examiners but in all cases the revised

portofolio shall be submitted for examination within six months of the

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portofolio being referred back to the student.

Such permission shall be

granted once only.

(3) In the case of composition, a student who fails to satisfy the

Board of Examiners in the viva voce examination may, at the discretion of

the Board of Examiners and with the permission of the Board, be re-

examined orally within a period of six months. Such permission shall be

granted once only.

(4) If, in a performance, a student for any one of the Degrees does

not show a complete mastery of technique and interpretative skills, the

Board of Examiners may require a repeat of the performance after a time

decided upon by the Board.

(5) If a student for the D.Mus. degree does not satisfy the Board of

Examiners that his work has reached the standard required for the award of

the D.Mus. degree, the Board of Examiners may recommend to Senate the

award of an M.Mus. degree.

Dissertation Format and Presentation

For the Degrees by composition students shall be required to

submit the following

(a) for the D.Mus. degree: the copies of the original portofolio of

works shall be presented on regular A3 music sheets with each work

separately soft-bound. The dissertation shall be of not less than 25,000 and

not more than 30,000 words, exclusive of notes, bibliography, and

appendices; and

(b) for the M.Mus. degree: the copies of the original portofolio of

works shall be presented on regular A3 music sheets with all works soft-

bound as a unit. The dissertation shall be of not less than 15,000 words in

length, exclusive of notes, bibliography, and appendices.

For the Degrees by performance students shall be required to

submit the following

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(a) for the D.Mus. degree: the programme notes and dissertation

shall be in the standard document format and shall be of not less than

25,000 and not more than 30,000 words in length, exclusive of notes,

bibliography, and appendices; and

(b) for the M.Mus. degree: the programme notes and dissertation

shall be in the standard document format and shall be of not less than

15,000 words in length, exclusive of notes, bibliography, and appendices.

Following formal approval by the supervisor, four copies should

be presented to the Co-ordinator of the Music Studies Programme for

forwarding to the Board of Examiners.

After the portofolio and dissertation are approved, the students

shall submit them in hard-bound form within not more than six weeks from

the viva voce examination.

Any expenses related to the performance and portofolio of

composition/s are to be borne by the students.

Mitbug] fl-Istamperija tal-Gvern — Printed at the Government Printing Press