under the auspices of the Institute of Health Care

B

L.N. 210 of 2010

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2010 in terms of the

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

for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

under the auspices of the Institute of Health Care

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

Institute of Health Care 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 2010 in terms of the

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

of Philosophy under the auspices of the Institute of Health Care.

(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 Doctor of Philosophy – Ph.D.;

“the Institute” means the Institute of Health Care; and

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

Degree Regulations, 2008.

Applicability

These bye-laws shall be applicable from October 2009 onwards.

Requirements for Admission

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

possession of one of the following degrees

B

(a)

a Master’s degree in the same area of study or in a related area

obtained subsequent to the completion of a first cycle or a comparable qualification;

or

(b)

a first degree in a related subject obtained with at least Second Class

Honours (Upper Division); or

(c)

a degree qualification comparable to the degrees specified in sub-

paragraphs (a) and (b), as approved by Senate on the recommendation of the Board.

(2) In the case of applicants presenting a degree indicated in sub-

paragraphs (b) and (c), the Institute Doctoral Committee shall

(a) ascertain that the applicant has a very strong background in the area of

study related to the proposed area of research; and

(b) submit a clearly motivated recommendation for acceptance to the Board

for eventual consideration by the Ph.D. Committee and Senate.

Applicants in possession of the degrees indicated in bye-law 3 (b) and (c)

shall have successfully completed a substantial dissertation/research component,

with at least an average grade of B+ or its equivalent, to which not less than 14

ECTS credits are assigned.

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.

(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 as directed by the Institute

Doctoral Committee.

Institute Doctoral Committee

The Board shall recommend to Senate the appointment of an Institute

Doctoral Committee composed as follows

The Director of the Institute or delegate (Chairperson)

3 - 4 members of the Institute possessing academic doctoral

qualifications.

B

Supervision and Students’ Progress

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

Board, through the Institute Doctoral Committee, annually 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 on the student’s

continuing registration for the Degree.

(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 appointed by the Board on the advice of the

Institute Doctoral Committee and shall be composed of a chairman, the Principal

Supervisor and an academic with expertise in the area.

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

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

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

the Principal Regulations.

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

Institute’s research and teaching programmes.

Procedure during Oral Examination

Students shall be required to defend their thesis orally. They are

expected to make a presentation of the major findings of their research work of

about 20 to 30 minutes and then to answer questions posed by members of the Board

of Examiners. The Chairman of the Board of Examiners shall ensure that the student

is aware of the procedure to be followed during the oral examination.

Thesis Presentation and Format

Six months before the submission deadline students shall be informed

that they are required to inform the Institute 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 loose bound copy of their

thesis for each member of the Board of Examiners, according to the format indicated

B

in the published guidelines, together with a copy in digital format. The officer in

charge of the Institute shall issue a dated receipt.

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

to submit to the Institute 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 division 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 for the Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - and

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

Legal Notice 81 of 2007, shall be deemed to cease to be in force as from the 1 st

October 2009, provided that students registered for the Doctor of Philosophy and

Master of Philosophy degrees before the 1 st October 2009 shall continue to be

governed by the bye-laws that were in force at the time of their registering for the

degree.

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