under the auspices of the Faculty of Education

B

L. .75 of 2009

EDUCA nON ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2009 in terms of the General Regu lations for Unive"sity Postgraduate

Awards, 2008 for the Degree of Master of Education

under the auspices of the Faculty of Education

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

Education in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by section 81 (I) 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

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

the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the degree of

Master of Education under the auspiccs of the Faculty of Education.

(2)

In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires:-

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Education;

"the Course" means the programme of study leading to the degree of Master of

Education -M.Ed

"the Degree" means the degree or Master or Education - M.Cd.;

"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University

Postgraduate A wards. 2008.

Appiicabilit)'

These byc-la\\'5 shall be applicable for courses cOlllmenclng In October

?

2008 or later.

Areas of Study

Dawn I-ordinamenli ghandhom japplikaw gtwll-korsijict Ii jibdew rOllubru

2008 jew wara.

L-Oqsma ta' Studju

The Course shall be offered in any area of study that Calls within thc

academic responsibility of the Board, aller approval by Senate.

Requirements for Admission

(I) Subject to thc conditions laid down in bye-law 5, the Course shall be

open to applicants in possession ofonc of the following qualifications

(a) a dcgree in Education with at least second class honoors from this

University or a degree from another university recognized as equivalent for the purpose;

or

(b) any other degree with at least second class honours together with a

recognized teaching qualification; or

(c) a degrec in Education or a Teachcr's Certificate together with at least five

years teaching experience and other suitable qualifications obtained Collowing the

degree or after the Teacher's Certilicatc; or

(d) any first cycle degree with either a recognized tcaching qualification or

Diploma in Education together with five years' experience in an education setting.

(2) Depending on the availability oC resources, thc Board shall determine the

numbcr of applicants that may be allowed to registcr. The Board shall announce the

areas of study, the number of available places. and the criteria for selection oCapplicants

at the time of the call Cor applications.

Prcparatol'y Programme

(I)

Applicants Cor rcgistration under paragraphs (e) or (d) 01' bye-I a,,·

.J( I) shall be required to attend an interview during which they shall be requested to

provide evidence 01' prior experiential learning and to demonstrate that they arc capable

or completing the Courst: and may be required to complctc a prcparatory programmc.

(2) The preparator\' programmc shall comprise study-units to which not less

than 30 credits Jild not more thall 60 credits arc assigned as directed by the Board.

obtClinccl \\'ith an ~l\ cr:1gc mark or 55% or bclter. prior to their registration to the Course.

by the Principal

~3)

PrCJlar~ltor.\

programllles

shall

also

be

governed

Regulations.

Course Duration

The Course shall extend over three semesters of full-time studies or the

equivalent in part-time.

Programme of Study

The programme of study shall comprise study-units to which a total of 90

credits shall be assigned.

(I) The programme of study for any area of study offered in the Course

may be either mainly taught or mainly by research.

(2) (a)

Mainly taught programmes of study shall comprise taught slUdy-

units to which a total of 60 credits are assigned and a dissertation study-unit to which 30

credits are assigned.

(b) Students who obtain 60 credits assigned to the taught study-units with an

average mark of at least 50% and do not proceed with the Course, or having proceeded

do not successfully complete the dissertation, shall be eligible for the award of a

Postgraduate Diploma in the relevant area of study.

(3) Mainly research programmes of study shall comprise taught study-units to

which 30 credits are assigned and a dissertation study-unit to which 60 credits are

assigned.

(4) Programmes of study shall be published by the Board atter approval by

Senate normally not less than eight months prior to the commencement of the Course

and shall indicate clearly the bye-laws in terms of which they are being offered.

Assessment and Progress

(I) The assessment of each taught study-unit shall be completed by the

end of the semester in which the teaching orthe study unit is held.

(2) Students who fail in the assessmcnt of not more than 20 credits. if

following the full-time coursc. or not more than 10 credits if lallowing the part-time

course, shall be givcn thc opportunity to re-sit the failed assessment during the

September supplementary examination s~ssiol1.

(3) Students who I>,il more than the number of study-units permitted

under paragraph 2 or this bye-law. or students who after re-assessment fail to obtain

credit for an} study-unit. shall bc requirecllo withdraw from the Course.

Dissertations

In mainly taught programmes of study, students shall be required to

(1)

submit an individual dissertation of not more than 15,000 words in accordance with the

guidelines issued by the Board. The dissertation must also satisfy the Board as regards

content and presentation.

(2)

Work on the dissertation shall be undertaken during the third semester of

the Course. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor who shall provide guidance and

advice on a regular basis during the period of study.

(3)

Students will be allowed to proceed to the third semester of the Course

only if they achieve a 55% average by the end of the second semester.

(4)

A provisional title for the dissertation and a detailed research proposal

shall be submitted to the Board for approval by the beginning of the second semester.

(1)

In programmes of study mainly by research, students shall be

required to submit an individual dissertation of approximately 35,000 words in

accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board. The dissertation must also satisfy

the Board as regards content and presentation.

(2)

Work on the dissertation may be undertaken throughout the Course after

approval of the proposal. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor who shall provide

guidance and advice on a regular basis during the period of study.

In all cases students shall be required to have regular contact with their

supervisor, who shall subll1itto the Board progress reports for the students under their

supervision althe end ol"each semester of' studies, whether the student is I"ollowing the

course full-time or part-time. Such reports may include recommendations to either (a)

extend the period 01" study in order to enable the student to complete the dissertation; or

(b) terminate studies prematurely il"the supervisor deems this to be proper in the

circumstances. provided that

(i)

the extension ol"the study period rci"erred to in (a) shall be in accordance

with the provisions 01" the Principal Regulations; and

(ii) the Bo:lt"Clmay not terminate studies rrematurely according to (b) until it

has l"irst given the student a chance to be heard.

Classification of the Awards

The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the classification of

the Postgraduate Diploma and the Degree shall be based on the results obtained in all

the components of the programme of study, all credits being weighted equally.

Special Provisions for Part-Time Courses

The provisions of the foregoing bye-laws shall apply IIlIIlatis IIllllandis to

courses followed on a part-time basis. and subject to such changes as may rcasonably be

deemed by the relevant 80ard as necessary due to the part-time nature of the Course.

Repeal

The Regulations of 2006 for the degree of Master of Education published

as Legal Notice 121 of 2006 as amended by Legal Notice 257 of 2007, shall be deemed

to cease to be in force as from I October 2008. provided that students registered for this

course before I Octoner 2008 shall continue to be governed by the regulations that were

in force at the timc of their joining the course.

IPI'Uhbliknlll1j(~-Oipartirnt'nt'al-I.~formazzjoni (doLgo\.ml)

/'ublished by tile DeparfmclII ofl/1fonlWlilm (doi.gollJIII) _ \'alletfa

ValleHa

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