under the auspices of the Faculty of Laws

B

L.N. 77 of 2009

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2009 in terms of the General Regulations for University

Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the Degree of Magister Juris

under the auspices of the Faculty of Laws

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 Laws in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by section 8\ (I) of

the said Act and which havc been approved by thc Senate of the Univcrsity

of Malta as required by scction 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

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

Magistcr Juris under the auspices of the Faculty of Laws.

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

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Laws;

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

Juris;

"the Degree" means the degree of Magister Juris;

··the Postgraduate Diploma·' means the Postgraduate Diploma in the relevant

area of study: and

"the Principal Regulations" means the General Rcgulations for University

Postgraduale !\ \yards. 200H.

Applicahility

')

These bye-Ia\\·s shall be applicable lor courses commencing in October

200~ or later.

Areas of Study

Dawn I-ordinamenli ghandhom japplikaw ghall-korsijiel Ii jibdew fOtlubru

2008 jew wara.

L-Oqsma ta' Studju

The Course shall bc ofkred in any area of study that I,ills within the

academic responsihilit\ "I' thc fSoard. after approval by Senate.

B

Requirements for Admission

(I) Thc Course shall be open to applicants in possession of one of the

following qualifications

(a) the degree of Doctor of Laws; or

(b) a Bachelor degree in Law as the main Honours area of study, obtained with

at least Second Class; or

(c) a degrce which the Board considcrs as comparable to any of the dcgrces

indicatcd in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this bye-law.

(2) The Board may admit applicants in possession of a degree in an area

other than Law if the Board, after having interviewed the applicants, is satisfied that

they arc ablc to follow the Course, and provided that they are required to follow a

preparatory programme prior to registration for the Course.

Preparatory Programme

(I) Thc preparatory programme shall comprise taught study-units to which

not less than 30 credits and not more than 60 credits are assigned and shall also be

governed by the Principal Regulations.

(2) Applicants shall be required to successfully complete the preparatory

programme of study with an average mark of 55% or bettcr prior to their registration

for the Course.

Course Duration

The Coursc shall extcnd over three scmcstcrs of full-timc study or the

equivalcnt in part-time stud~'.

Prugrammc of Study

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

credits shall bc assigned.

The programmc of stuely lor any arca of study oflCred in the Course may

be either mainly taught or mainly by research.

Mainlv taught programmes of slUdy shall comprise taught study-units to

whieh a total of 60 credits arc assigned ami a dissertation study-unit to which 30

credits are assigned.

B

Students \\'ho obtain the 60 credits assigned to the taught slUdy-units with

an avcrage 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 the Postgraduate Diploma.

I I. Mainly research programmes of study shall comprise study-units to which

a total of 90 credits are assigned. of which between 10 and 30 credits are assigned to

taught study-units and between 60 and 80 credits are assigned to the dissertation

study-unit.

Programmes of study shall be published by the Board after approval by

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

Course.

Assessment and Progress

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

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

(2) Students who in any academic year fail in the assessment of not more

than 20 credits for taught study-units, if following the Course full-time, or not more

than 10 credits if following the Course part-time, shall be given the opportunity to

re-sit the failed assessments during the September supplementary examination

sessIon.

(3) Students who fail in more than the number of credits permitted under

paragraph (2) of this bye-law, or students who after re-assessment fail to obtain the

credits lor any study-unit, shall be deemed to have failed the Course.

Dissertations

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

submit all individual dissertation of approximately 25,000 words in accordance with

the guidelin~s issued by thc 130ard.

(2) Work on the dissertation shall be undertakcn during the third

scmester of thc LllllrSC. Fach studcnt shall bc assigncd a supclYisor who shall

or study.

11r0\ ide guidallce and ~H.h itT 011 a regular basis during the period

C'l !\ pro"isional title of the disscrtation and a detailed rescarch proposal

shall be submitted to the Hoard lOr appro"al by the bcginning of the second

sClllL'SlCr.

(I) In programmcs of stud\' mainly by research. students shall be

rcquired to submit an indi"idual dissertation 01' approximately 50.000 words in

llccordancc with the guidelines issucd by thc Hoard.

B

(2) Work on the dissertation may be undertaken at any time during the

Course after approval of the proposal by the Board. Each student shall bc assigned a

supervisor who shall provide guidance and advice on a regular basis during the

period ot' study.

(3) The provisional title of the dissertation and a detailed research

proposal shall be submitted to the Board for approval at the time of application.

(I) [n all cases, students shall bc required to have regular contact with

their supervisor.

(2) Supervisors shall submit to the Board progress reports for the students

under their supervision at the end of each semester of studies, whether the student is

following the Course on a full-time or a part-time basis. Such reports may include a

recommendation to either (a) extend the period of study in order to enable the

student to complctc the disscliation; or (b) terminate studies prematurely if the

supervisor deems this to be proper in the circumstances, provided that

(i)

the extension of the study period referred to in (a) shall be in accordance

with the provisions of the Principal Regulations; and

(ii) the Board may not terminate studies prematurely according to (b) until it

has first given the studcnt a chance to be heard.

Classification of the Awards

The Final Weightcd Average Mark for the purpose of the

classification of the Postgraduatc Diploma and of thc Degree shall be based on the

results obtained in all the componcnts of the programmc of study, all credits being

weighted equally.

Special Provisions for Part-Time Courses

The provisions of thc foregoing bye-laws shall apply lI1U1aris II1wandis to

courses I'ollowed on a part-timc basis, and subject to such changes as may

reasonably be deemed by the Board as neccss'lry due to the part-time nature of the

Course,

Repeal

The Rcgulations of 2001 for the Degree of Magister Juris, published as

l.egal Notice 276 01'2001 and Legal Notice 277 012001, shall be deemed to cease 10

be in I()ree as frolll ! October ~008, provided that students registered lor this course

bdore I October 2008 shall continue to be governed by the regulations that were in

force dt the time or their joining the COllrsc.