Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - in the Institute of Health Care, 2007

B

L.N. 81 of 2007

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws for the Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - and

Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - in the Institute of Health Care, 2007

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 bye-laws made by

the Board of the Institute of Health Care in virtue of the powers

conferred upon it by section 81 (1) of the said Act and which have been

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

section 81 (2) of the said Act

Citation and Interpretation

(1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws for the Degrees of Doctor

of Philosophy - Ph.D. - and Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - in the Institute of Health

Care, 2007.

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

“the Board" means the Board of the Institute of Health Care;

“the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - or the

Degree of Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - as the case may be;

“the Institute” means the Institute of Health Care;

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

prescribed in regulation 4 of the Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - and Master of

Philosophy - M.Phil. - Degrees Course Regulations, 1998; and

“the Principal Regulations” means the Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - and

Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - Degrees Course Regulations, 1998.

Applicability

These bye-laws shall be applicable from 1st October 2006 onwards.

Registration for the Degrees

An applicant shall be eligible for registration for the M.Phil. degree if

he/she

(a) is in possession of a first degree in a related subject with at least Second

Class Honours (Upper Division); or

(b) is in possession of an equivalent degree qualification as approved by Senate

on the recommendation of the Board.

Where the Senate, on the recommendation of the Board, deems it necessary,

it may require applicants to successfully complete a number of study-units under those

conditions it may impose.

Before being allowed to register for the Ph.D. degree, an applicant in

possession of the qualifications indicated in paragraph (a) of bye-law 3 shall normally

be required to register in the first instance for the M.Phil. degree. Only in exceptional

circumstances shall the applicant be considered for direct registration for the Ph.D.

degree.

Progress and Supervision

Students shall be required to register every twelve months on the written

recommendation of their supervisor.

In the case where a student’s appointed supervisor is unable to continue

providing supervision, another supervisor shall be appointed to enable the student to

proceed with his/her studies.

Transfer of Registration

Transfer of studies from the M.Phil. to the Ph.D. degree shall be considered

in terms of the Principal Regulations.

Research Seminars

The Institute attaches great importance to the association of students for the

degrees with other research students and members of staff. Students shall therefore be

required to participate fully in the research seminars of the Institute and present at least

one seminar during the course of their studies.

B

Change in Title

Any changes to the title of the thesis or dissertation shall be approved by

Senate, acting on the advice of the Board, and following a written recommendation by

the student’s supervisor.

Submission of Thesis / Dissertation for Examination

Further to regulation 3 of the Principal Regulations, a thesis for the Ph.D.

degree shall report the discovery of new facts and/or demonstrate that the student has

exercised independent critical power in reaching the reported conclusions. In both

respects, the student shall indicate clearly the extent to which the thesis embodies the

results of his / her own research and observations, and to what extent the investigation

advances the study of the subject.

When submitting a thesis or dissertation for examination in terms of

regulation 10 of the Principal Regulations, students shall submit five spiral-bound

copies, according to the format indicated in bye-laws 13 and 14 (except for the hard

binding requirement) to the Institute Administrative Officer. The Administrative

Officer shall endorse the copies submitted and issue a dated receipt.

Thesis Format and Presentation

(1) Ph.D. theses shall not normally exceed 60,000 words, exclusive of

appendices, bibliographies, glossaries and footnotes.

(2) M.Phil. dissertations shall not normally exceed 50,000 words,

exclusive of appendices, bibliographies, glossaries and footnotes.

(1) Theses/dissertations shall be presented in the following format

(a) typewritten or printed, using a 12 point font, on good quality white A4

paper, on one side only; the text to be in double line spacing;

(b) the margins shall be at least 20 mm top, bottom and right and 40 mm to the

left;

(c) the binding shall be in cloth (preferably black), with stiff boards and good

quality end papers, with lettering (preferably in gold) on the front and the spine

showing

(i)

the name of the student;

(ii)

the title or short title of the thesis/dissertation;

(iii) the degree for which the thesis/dissertation is submitted;

(iv) the year of submission;

Maps, diagrams, graphs, printed material, diskettes, etc. shall be bound with the

thesis/dissertation, but if this is not possible they shall be presented separately in special

folders or volumes and numbered.

A short abstract of the thesis/dissertation, of not more than 500 words, shall

be bound with each copy submitted to the University.

Students may publish the whole or part of their thesis prior to its submission

for examination, provided that in the published work it is not stated that it is under

consideration for a higher degree. Such published work may later be incorporated in the

thesis submitted for examination, provided that a statement to this effect is included in it

as required by the Principal Regulations.

Students shall be required to submit a copy of the final version of their

thesis/dissertation, within six weeks from the publication of the result, to each member

of the Board of Examiners, as well as two copies to the Institute Administrative Officer,

one of which shall be retained in the University Library and another one in the custody

of the division concerned. The latter two copies and the supervisor’s copy shall be hard-

bound as indicated in bye-law 13.

Procedures of the Board of Examiners

(1) The Board of Examiners shall meet following the receipt of a

preliminary report by the external examiner, who is not required to be present for this

meeting. Due consideration shall be given to the preliminary report of the external

examiner.

(2) If, during the meeting referred to in paragraph (1) of this bye-law, the

Board of Examiners considers that the thesis/dissertation is of the necessary level to

allow the student to proceed to the oral examination, it shall inform the student in

writing of the date for the oral examination, not later than two weeks before the oral

examination is due to take place.

(3) If, during the meeting referred to in paragraph (1) of this bye-law, the

Board of Examiners considers that the thesis/dissertation clearly does not satisfy the

requirements for the degree registered for, it shall refer it back to the student for

revision according to the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) of regulation 12 of the

Principal Regulations and shall submit a report to the Board.

B

In assessing the student for the award of the degree concerned, the Board of

Examiners shall take into account both the thesis/dissertation and the performance of

the student during the oral examination. A detailed written report shall be submitted to

the Senate through the Board.

In the report specified in bye-law 19, the Board of Examiners shall

recommend one of the following outcomes

(a) that the thesis/dissertation is judged to be satisfactory, possibly subject to the

correction of typographical or spelling errors, which do not require approval of the

supervisor; or

(b) that the thesis/dissertation is judged to be satisfactory subject to revisions

that are editorial in nature or that affect the presentation of the material. Such revisions

shall require the approval of the supervisor only, who shall inform the Board of

Examiners in writing that the revisions have been done according to the

recommendations of the Board of Examiners by not later than one month following the

student’s oral examination; or

(c) that the thesis/dissertation is unsatisfactory in its current form, and major

rethinking and/or research are required; or

(d) that the thesis/dissertation has not reached the required standard for the

award of the degree, and that re-examination on the same research is not permitted.

In the case of a Ph.D. thesis that has not been approved in terms of

paragraph (d) of bye-law 20, the Board of Examiners may recommend to Senate the

award of the M.Phil. degree.

Procedure during Oral Examination

During the oral examination, the student is expected to present a synopsis of

the thesis/dissertation of about 20 minutes, and then to answer questions posed by the

members of the Board of Examiners. The supervisor shall ensure that the student is

aware of the procedure to be followed.

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