Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences

L.N. 280 of 2012

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2012 in terms of the

General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004

for the Degrees of Bachelor of Communications (Honours) - B. Comms (Hons)

- and Bachelor of Communications - B. Comms -under the auspices of the

Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences

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 Media and

Knowledge Sciences 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 2012 in terms of

the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004 for the Degrees

of Bachelor of Communications (Honours) - B. Comms (Hons) - and Bachelor

of Communications - B.Comms - under the auspices of the Faculty of Media and

Knowledge Sciences.

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

“the Board” means the Board of the Faculty of Media and Knowledge

Sciences;

“the Course” means the programme of study leading to the degree of

Bachelor of Communications (Honours) - B. Comms (Hons) - or to the degree of

Bachelor of Communications - B. Comms - as appropriate;

“the Degree” means the degree of Bachelor of Communications (Honours)

- B. Comms (Hons) - or the degree of Bachelor of Communications - B.Comms - as

appropriate;

“the Faculty” means the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences; and

“the Principal Regulations” means the General Regulations for University

Undergraduate Awards, 2004.

Applicability

These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October 2011

or later.

Areas of Study

(1) The degree of B. Comms (Hons) may be awarded under the auspices

of the Faculty as the Honours Main area of study together with another area of study

taken as an Ordinary Main area of study.

(2) The degree of B. Comms may be awarded under the auspices of the

Faculty as the Ordinary Main area of study together with a second Ordinary Main

area of study.

(3) The Board shall announce the list of areas of study that may be taken

with Communications in the Degree before the commencement of the Course.

Special Course Requirements for Admission

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

(a) those qualifications relevant to their chosen second Ordinary Main area

of study as indicated in the bye-laws for the degree in the area of study offered under

the auspices of the academic entity responsible for the discipline; and

(b) a pass at Intermediate Matriculation Level in English, or its equivalent.

Course Duration

(1) The Course for the degree of B.Comms (Hons) shall extend over a

period of four academic years of full-time study.

(2) The Course for the degree of B.Comms shall extend over a period of

three academic years of full-time study.

Programme of Study

Applicants shall be required to register initially for the B.Comms course and

shall be required to indicate their choice of a second Ordinary Main area of study to

be taken with Communications at the time of applying for admission.

The Course shall consist of two parts.

(1) Part One shall comprise the first two years of the Course and shall be

common both to the course leading to the B.Comms (Hons) and to the course leading

to the B.Comms and shall comprise

(a) 64 credits in Communications as indicated in the Communications

programme of study;

(b) 52 credits in the second Ordinary Main area of study as indicated in the

programme of study for that area; and

(c) 4 credits for optional study-units approved by the Board.

(2) At the end of Part One of the Course students who have obtained an

average mark of

(a) 65% or better in the Communications area of study (excluding the supporting

subjects indicated in the Communications programme of study); and

(b) 60% or better in all the study-units of Part One,

become eligible to register for the course leading to the B.Comms (Hons).

(3) Students shall normally be required to proceed immediately from Part

One to Part Two of the Course, but, at any rate, students shall not be admitted to Part

Two if more than one year has elapsed from the completion of Part One, without the

permission of Senate on the recommendation of the Board.

(1) Part Two shall comprise the third year of the course leading to the

B.Comms degree or the third and fourth years of the course leading to the B.Comms

(Hons) degree.

(2) Part Two of the B.Comms (Hons) course comprises

(a) 86 credits in Communications;

(b) 22 credits in the Ordinary Main area of study chosen in Part One; and

(c) 12 credits for optional study-units approved by the Board.

(3) Part Two of the B.Comms course comprises

(a) 32 credits in Communications;

(b) 22 credits in the second Ordinary Main area of study chosen in Part One;

and

(c) 6 credits for optional study-units approved by the Board.

(1) Students for the B.Comms (Hons) degree shall be required to register

and obtain credits for study-units to which a total of not less than 240 credits are

assigned, of which not less than 150 credits shall be obtained from the Communications

programme of study and not less than 74 credits from the programme of study of the

second Ordinary Main area of study.

(2) Students for the B.Comms degree shall be required to register and

obtain credits for study-units to which a total of not less than 180 credits are assigned,

of which not less than 96 credits shall be obtained from the Communications

programme of study and not less than 74 credits from the programme of study of the

second Ordinary Main area of study.

(1) The Board shall publish the programmes of study for Communications

as an Ordinary Main area of study and as an Honours Main area of study, drawn up in

accordance with the relevant provisions of the Principal Regulations, and approved

by Senate. 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 programme of study they are following for the Degree.

(2) The programmes of study for the Ordinary Main areas of study that may

be taken together with Communications in the Course shall similarly be published by

the Board of the academic entities responsible for the disciplines.

Classification of the Awards

The overall evaluation of the students for the Degree shall take into

account their performance in the study-units (including the synoptic study-units) in

Communications, the study-units in the second Ordinary Main area of study and, in

the case of the Honours degree, in the dissertation.

(1) In the B.Comms (Hons) course, the weighting of the final results shall

be as follows

Third Year Average Mark

40%

Fourth Year Average Mark

60%.

The Fourth Year Average Mark shall be weighted as follows: 70% allotted to the

dissertation, the synoptic study-units and the end-of-course projects (36 credits),

while 30% is allotted to the credits obtained in the other study-units followed during

that year (24 credits).

(2) In the B.Comms course, the weighting of the final results shall be as

follows

First Year Average Mark

25%

Second Year Average Mark

25%

Third Year Average Mark of the synoptic study-units

25%

Third Year Average Mark of the other study-units

25%.

Repeal

The Bye-Laws of 2005 for the degrees of Bachelor of Communications

(Honours) – B.Comms (Hons) – and Bachelor of Communications – B.Comms -

under the auspices of the Centre for Communication Technology, published as Legal

Notice 10 of 2005, shall be deemed to cease to be in force as from 1 October 2011,

provided that students registered for this Course before October 2011 shall continue

to be governed by the regulations that were in force at the time of their joining the

course.

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