under the auspices of the Faculty of Science

B

L.N. 213 of 2008

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2008 in terms of the

General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004

for the Degrees of Bachelor of Science - B.Sc. -

and Bachelor of Science (Honours) - B.Sc. (Hons) -

under the auspices of the Faculty of Science

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

Faculty of Science 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 of 2008 in terms of the

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

Bachelor of Science - B.Sc. - and Bachelor of Science (Honours) - B.Sc. (Hons) -

under the auspices of the Faculty of Science.

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

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Science;

"the Course" means the programme of studies leading to the degree of

Bachelor of Science - B.Sc. - or the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) - B.Sc.

(Hons) - as appropriate;

"the Degree" means the degree of Bachelor of Science - B.Sc. – or the degree

of Bachelor of Science (Honours) - B.Sc. (Hons) - as appropriate; and

“the Faculty” means the Faculty of Science;

"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University

Undergraduate Awards, 2004.

Applicability

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

2008 or later.

B

Special Course Requirements for Admission

(1) 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, be in possession of the special course requirements as

follows

(a) Banking and Finance: a pass in Pure Mathematics (Intermediate);

(b) Biology: passes in Biology (Advanced, grade C or better) and Chemistry

(Intermediate, grade C or better);

(c) Chemistry: passes in Chemistry (Advanced, grade C or better) and either

Physics or Pure Mathematics (Intermediate, grade C or better);

(d) Computer Information Systems

either a pass in Pure Mathematics (Advanced, grade C or better);

or passes in Computing or Information Technology (Advanced, grade C or better)

and Pure Mathematics (Intermediate, grade C or better);

(e) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

either passes in Computing (Advanced, grade C or better) and Pure Mathematics

(Intermediate, grade C or better);

or passes in Pure Mathematics (Advanced, grade C or better) and Computing

(Intermediate, grade C or better);

(f) Mathematics: a pass in Pure Mathematics (Advanced, grade C or better);

(g) Physics

either passes in Physics (Advanced, grade C or better) and Pure Mathematics

(Intermediate, grade C or better);

or passes in Pure Mathematics (Advanced, grade C or better) and Physics

(Intermediate, grade C or better);

(h) Statistics and Operations Research

either a pass in Pure Mathematics (Advanced, grade C or better);

or a pass in Applied Mathematics (Advanced, grade C or better);

or passes in Computing or Information Technology (Advanced, grade C or better)

and Pure Mathematics (Advanced, grade D or better);

or passes in Computing or Information Technology (Advanced, grade C or better)

and Applied Mathematics (Advanced, grade D or better).

(2) Applicants who possess a grade D instead of a grade C in only one of

the required subjects, whether at Advanced or Intermediate Level, of the special

course requirements indicated in paragraph (1) of this bye-law, shall be admitted

under those conditions as the Board may impose to compensate for the qualification

deficiency. If, by the end of the first year, such students do not successfully

B

complete all the requirements to progress regularly to the second year of the Course,

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.

Course Duration

(1) The course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in

one main area of study, which may be taken with one subsidiary area, shall extend

over a period of three years of full-time study.

(2) The course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in

two subjects as main areas of study shall extend over a period of four years of full-

time study.

Areas of Study

(1) The degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in one main area of study

may be offered in any area of study that falls within the responsibility of the Faculty,

as approved by the Board.

(2) The degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) may also be offered

either in two main areas of study from the areas listed in (a), or in one main area of

study from option (a) and one main area of study from option (b), as approved by

the Board

(a) Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Operations

Research;

(b) Banking and Finance, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science

and Artificial Intelligence.

The areas of study offered in any particular year and the permissible

combinations of areas of study shall be published by the Board before the

commencement of each Course, provided that in any year, combinations of areas of

study shall be offered depending on the availability of resources and the number of

applicants who choose them.

Publication of Programmes

The Board shall publish the programme of study for each area of study, as

approved by Senate, before the commencement of each Course. Subject to changes

that the Board may, with the approval of Senate, be constrained to make, students

are bound to follow the study-units and obtain the credits as indicated in the course

programme and in the programmes of study of the areas of study they are following

for the Degree, provided that course programmes and programmes of study shall be

drawn up in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Principal Regulations.

B

Course Programme for the Degree in one Main Area of Study

(1) The Course shall consist of study-units to which 180 credits are

assigned.

(2) The Course may be offered either in one area of study as a main area,

or in one main area of study with a subsidiary area as approved by the Board,

provided that not less than 110 credits shall be assigned to the main area of study.

(3) Programmes of study for the areas that may be taken as subsidiary

areas shall be those published by the boards of the academic entities responsible for

them.

(4) The third year of the Course shall include a dissertation to which 18

credits shall be assigned, provided that in the case of Mathematics, this may be

substituted by one or more additional taught study-units.

Course Programme for the degree in two main areas of study

The Course shall consist of two parts, namely, Part One comprising the

first three years and Part Two comprising the fourth year.

(1) Part One shall consist of study-units to which 180 credits are assigned

divided as follows

First Year

60 credits of which not less than 26 credits in each of the two

areas of study;

Second Year

30 credits in each of the two areas of study;

Third Year

30 credits in each of the two areas of study.

(2) At the end of Part One, students who obtain 180 credits as specified

in paragraph (1) of this bye-law but who either opt not to proceed with the Course

leading to the Degree, or having proceeded, do not successfully complete the

Course, shall be eligible for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)

classified in terms of bye-law 12.

(1) Part Two shall consist of study-units to which 60 credits are assigned

divided as follows

(a) 34 credits in one area of study, of which 18 credits are assigned to a

dissertation; and

(b) 26 credits in the other area of study,

provided that in the case of Mathematics, the dissertation may be substituted by one

or more additional taught study-units.

B

Classification of the Degree

The Final Weighted Average Mark for the classification of the Degree

shall be based on the results obtained in each year of the Course, all years being

weighted equally.

Repeal

The Bye-Laws of 2005 for the Degrees of Bachelor of Science – B.Sc. –

and Bachelor of Science (Honours) – B.Sc.(Hons), published as Legal Notice 152 of

2005, as amended by Legal Notices 123 of 2006 and 258 of 2007, shall be deemed

to cease to be in force as from 1 st October 2008, provided that students registered for

this course before the 1 st October 2008 shall continue to be governed by the bye-

laws that were in force at the time of their joining the course.

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