under the auspices of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy

L.N. 25 of 2006

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2006 in terms of the

General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004

for the Degrees of Bachelor of Commerce – B.Com. –

and Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) – B.Com. (Honours) –

under the auspices of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy

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 bye-laws made by the Board of the

Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy in virtue of the

powers conferred upon it by section 37 (1) of the said Act and which have

been approved by the Senate of the University of Malta as required by

section 37 (2) of the said Act

Citation and Interpretation

(1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws of 2006 in terms of the

General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004 for the degrees of

Bachelor of Commerce - B.Com. - and Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) - B.Com.

(Hons) - under the auspices of the Faculty of Economics, Management and

Accountancy.

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

“the Board” means the Board of the Faculty of Economics, Management and

Accountancy;

“the Course” means the programme of studies leading to the degree of

Bachelor of Commerce - B.Com. - or the degree of Bachelor of Commerce

(Honours) - B.Com. (Hons) - as appropriate;

“the Degree” means the degree of Bachelor of Commerce - B.Com. - or the

degree of Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) - B.Com. (Hons) - as appropriate; and

“the Principal Regulations” means the General Regulations for University

Undergraduate Awards, 2004.

B

Applicability

These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October

2003 or later.

Areas of Study

(1) The degree of Bachelor of Commerce is awarded in Commerce as a

single Main Area of Study with two of the following areas of specialization

Accountancy, Banking and Finance, Economics, Management, Public Policy,

and any other area approved by Senate on the recommendation of the Board.

(2) The degree of Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) is awarded in

Commerce as a Main Honours Area of Study with one of the following areas of

specialization

Banking and Finance, Economics, Management, Public Policy, Public and

Private Sector Management, and any other area approved by Senate on the

recommendation of the Board.

Special Course Requirements for Admission

To be registered as regular students in the Course, applicants shall, apart

from satisfying the general requirements for admission as specified in the Admission

Regulations of the University, be in possession of the following special course

requirements

(a) a pass at Intermediate Matriculation Level in Pure Mathematics; or

(b) the Certificate in Banking of the Chartered Institute of Bankers

(comprising six subjects) and a pass at Intermediate Matriculation Level in Pure

Mathematics, provided that such applicants may only be allowed to choose ‘Banking

and Finance’ and either ‘Economics’ or ‘Management’ or ‘Public Policy’ or ‘Public

and Private Sector Management’ as the two areas of specialization.

Applicants who lack only a pass at Intermediate Matriculation Level in Pure

Mathematics as required by bye-law 4 shall be admitted under those conditions as

the Board may impose to compensate for the missing element. If, by the end of the

first year of the Course, such students do not successfully complete all the

requirements to progress regularly to the second year, they shall be required to

withdraw from the Course, and shall neither be entitled to repeat the year nor to

progress conditionally as normally permitted under the Principal Regulations.

Progression to Year 2

To progress to the second year of the Course, students must satisfy the

following conditions

(a) If choosing Accountancy as an area of specialization, students must

(i) be in possession of a pass at Grade C or better at Advanced Matriculation

Level in Accounting prior to admission in the Course; and

(ii) obtain a mark of not less than 50% in the Mathematics and Accounting

Theory and Practice study-units and 45% in each of the remaining compulsory

study-units taken in the first year of the Course.

(b) If choosing Banking and Finance or Economics or Management or Public

Policy as an area of specialization, students must obtain a mark of not less than 45%

in each of the compulsory study-units taken in the first year of the Course.

Course Duration

(1) The course for the degree of Bachelor of Commerce shall extend over a

period of three years of full-time study.

(2) The course for the degree of Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) shall

extend over a period of four years of full-time study.

Course Programme

Students shall be required to register initially for the Bachelor of Commerce

course.

The Course shall consist of two parts: Part One and Part Two.

Part One shall comprise the first three years of the Course and shall be

common both to the course leading to the Bachelor of Commerce and to the course

leading to the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours). Part One shall comprise

(a) the first year, that is common for all students, consisting of compulsory

study-units (including a study-unit in Mathematics and a study-unit in

Accountancy), to which a total of 56 credits are assigned and optional study-units to

which 4 credits are assigned;

(b) the second year, consisting of study-units in each of the two areas of

specialization chosen, to which 28 credits are assigned and optional study-units to

which 4 credits are assigned; and

B

(c) the third year, consisting of study-units in each of the two areas of

specialization chosen, to which 30 credits are assigned which include a compulsory

synoptic study-unit in each area of specialization to which 10 credits are assigned.

Prior to registering in the second year of the Course, students shall be

required to choose two areas of specialization from the areas indicated in paragraph

(1) of bye-law 3.

Students who successfully complete Part One of the Course by obtaining

180 credits shall be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Commerce, unless they opt to

proceed to Part Two of the Course, if eligible in terms of bye-law 14, and

successfully complete it.

Part Two of the Course comprises the fourth year leading to the degree of

Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and comprises study-units in one chosen area of

specialization, to which 60 credits are assigned including a dissertation of 10,000-

12,000 words.

Students shall be eligible to register for Part Two of the Course if they

either

(a) have successfully completed Part One of the Course and have been placed

in Category II or better in the classification for the award of the Bachelor of

Commerce; and

(b) have obtained a minimum average mark of 65% in the 56 credits assigned

to the second and third year study-units in the area of specialization chosen for Part

Two of the Course. Students shall be eligible to register for Public and Private

Sector Management as an area of specialization if they have chosen either

Management or Public Policy as areas of specialization in Part One of the Course

and obtained a minimum average mark of 65% in at least one of these two areas;

or with Management as the area of specialization if they

(a) are in possession of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business and

Computing awarded with Category II or better; and

(b) have obtained an average mark of 65% in the 56 credits assigned to the

second and third year study-units of the Business Area of Study.

Students who do not complete Part Two shall be awarded the degree of

Bachelor of Commerce, classified according to the criteria indicated in paragraph (1)

of bye-law 17.

The Board shall publish the Course programme of study and the

programmes of study for each area of specialization, drawn up in accordance with

the relevant provisions of the Principal Regulations, and approved by Senate.

Subject to the approval of Senate, the Board may make any necessary changes to the

programmes of study and to the study-units required for the Degree.

Classification of the Awards

(1) The Final Weighted Average Mark for the classification of the

Bachelor of Commerce degree (Part One of the Course) shall be based on the results

obtained in the three years of Part One of the Course which shall be weighted as

follows

First Year Average Mark

15%

Second Year Average Mark

20%

Third Year Average Mark

65%.

(2) The Final Weighted Average Mark for the classification of the

Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree shall be based on the results obtained in

the four years of the Course which shall be weighted as follows

Part One Weighted Average Mark

35%

Fourth Year Average Mark

65%.