under the auspices of the Faculty of Science

VER|JONI ELETTRONIKA

L.N. 312 of 2009

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2009 in terms of the

Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - Degree Regulations, 2008

for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

under the auspices of the Faculty of Science

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon him by articles 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 article 81 (1)

of the said Act and which have been approved by the Senate of the

University of Malta as required by article 81 (2) of the said Act

Citation and Interpretation

(1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws of 2009 in terms of the

Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - Degree Regulations, 2008 for the Degree of Doctor

of Philosophy 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 Faculty” means the Faculty of Science;

“the Degree” means the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy – Ph.D.; and

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

Regulations, 2008.

Applicability

These bye-laws shall be applicable from October 2008 onwards.

Requirements for Admission

(1) Applicants for the Degree offered by the Faculty shall be in

possession of one of the following degrees, obtained in the last ten years prior to

registration

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B

(a) a Bachelor Honours degree obtained with at least Second Class Upper

Division, in an area of study related to the proposed area of research;

(b) a Master’s degree, in an area of study related to the proposed area of

research;

(c) qualifications which the Board deems comparable to the degrees

indicated in (a) and (b).

(2) Applicants in possession of one of the degrees indicated in paragraph

(1) of this bye-law obtained more than ten years prior to their application may apply

and are required to produce sufficient proof of their competence to carry out

research at the required level.

(1) Applicants may submit their application form, together with a

comprehensive research proposal outlining the proposed project, including research

sources and materials, at any time of the year.

(2) Applicants may also be asked to demonstrate competence in those

skills required by the nature of the proposed research.

Faculty Doctoral Committee

The Board shall recommend to Senate the appointment of a Faculty

Doctoral Committee composed as follows

The Dean of the Faculty (Chairman)

3-4 heads of departments or their delegates, providing that each member

shall be qualified up to PhD level.

Supervision and Students’ Progress

Principal Supervisors shall be required to submit a written report to the

Board, through the Faculty Doctoral Committee, every June for all students under

their supervision.

Students shall only be allowed to proceed with their studies subject to

satisfactory progress reports from their Principal Supervisor. If the report is

negative, the Board shall make recommendations to Senate concerning the

continuation of the student’s doctoral programme.

(1) After 12 months of full-time study, students are required to submit a

report on their research work for consideration by an ad hoc board appointed by the

Board. The ad hoc board shall be composed of a chairman, who shall be the head of

the department concerned or his delegate, and two examiners, one of whom shall be

the Principal Supervisor and the other a member of the Faculty.

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B

(2) The ad hoc board shall examine the student orally and shall submit a

written report for consideration by the Faculty Doctoral Committee in the first

instance. The report shall contain recommendations according to the provisions of

the Principal Regulations.

Students registered at the Faculty may be required to participate in the

Faculty’s research and teaching programmes.

Thesis Presentation and Format

Students are required to inform the Faculty that they will be submitting

their thesis for examination not less than three months before the submission

deadline.

The Board shall recommend to Senate the appointment of the Board of

Examiners in accordance with the Principal Regulations.

The Board shall approve and publish guidelines on the format and

presentation of the thesis for the Degree.

(1) Students shall be required to submit a soft-bound copy of their thesis

for each member of the Board of Examiners, together with a copy in digital format.

(2) On successful completion of their studies, students shall be required

to submit to the Faculty three hard-bound copies of the thesis and one copy in digital

format within six weeks from the publication of their result. One copy of the thesis

shall be kept in the Library of the department and another at the University Library.

Students who do not comply with this bye-law shall not be awarded the Degree.

Repeal

The Bye-Laws of 1998 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the

auspices of the Faculty of Science, published as Legal Notice 41 of 1998, shall be

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

registered for this degree before 1st October 2008 shall continue to be governed by

the regulations that were in force at the time of their registration for the degree.

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