under the auspices of the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences

B

L.N. 29 of 2012

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bye-Laws of 2012 in terms of the General Regulations for

University Postgraduate Awards, 2008

for the Degree of Master of Arts – M.A. -

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 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 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 2012 in terms of

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

of Master of Arts – M.A. - offered 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 Master

of Arts – M.A.;

“the Degree” means the degree of Master of Arts – M.A.;

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

“the Postgraduate Diploma” means the Postgraduate Diploma in the relevant

area of study; and

“the Principal Regulations” means the General Regulations for University

Postgraduate Awards, 2008.

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Applicability

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

2011 or later.

Areas of Study

The Board shall offer the Course in areas of study which fall under the

competence of the Faculty. It shall announce the areas of study and the mode of study

in which they are offered before the beginning of each Course, after the approval of

Senate. Applicants shall be required to indicate their choice of area and mode of

study at the time of application.

Requirements for Admission

Subject to the conditions laid down in bye-law 5, the Course shall be

open to applicants in possession of one of the following qualifications

(a) a Bachelor’s degree with Honours obtained with Second Class or better

in the same area or in a closely related area of study as the area of study applied for;

or

(b) the degree of Bachelor in the same area or in a closely related area of

study as that applied for, with an average mark of not less than 65% in that area of

study, or similar qualifications deemed by the Board relevant to that chosen for the

Course; or

(c) a degree from this or another university, which the Board considers as

comparable to any of the degrees indicated in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this bye-law.

Preparatory Programme

(1) Applicants applying in terms of paragraphs (b) and (c) of bye-law

4 may be required to follow a preparatory programme as specified by the Board.

The preparatory programme shall include synoptic study-units in the area of study

concerned, and may include also study-units which are intended to train students in

the competencies required to conduct research work.

(2) During the preparatory programme students shall be required to register

for a number of study-units for which a total of not less than thirty and not more than

sixty credits are assigned.

(3) Students shall be required to successfully complete the preparatory

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

for the Course.

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Admission to the Course

Applicants wishing to apply for the Degree mainly by research, shall

indicate the provisional title for the dissertation on their application for admission.

The application shall include a research proposal as well as a statement by the head of

department concerned that applicants possess the training, knowledge and capabilities

required for the proposed line of study and research.

Course duration

The Course shall extend over three semesters of full-time study or its

equivalent in part-time study.

Programme of Study

The programme of study for any area of study offered in the Course may

be either mainly taught or mainly by research. The Board shall indicate which areas

of study may be taken by research only and which by taught and research study-units

before the commencement of each Course. It shall also indicate the areas of study

offered in the full-time and part-time courses.

(1) Mainly taught programmes of study shall comprise taught study-units

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

credits are assigned.

(2) Students who obtain the 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.

Mainly research programmes of study shall comprise taught study-units

to which 10 credits are assigned and a dissertation study-unit to which 80 credits are

assigned.

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

(1) 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 following the mainly taught programme of study who in any

academic year fail in the assessment of not more than 20 credits, if following the

B

Course on a full-time basis, or not more than 10 credits if following the Course on a

part-time basis, 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 for any study-unit, shall be deemed to have failed the Course.

Dissertations

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

submit a dissertation of up to a maximum of 25,000 words in accordance with the

guidelines issued by the Board.

(2) Work on the dissertation shall be undertaken primarily during the third

semester of the Course. Students shall be assigned a supervisor who shall provide

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

(3) Students following the mainly taught programme must submit a

provisional title for the dissertation and a detailed research proposal to the Board for

approval not later than six weeks before the end of the second semester.

Research Programmes of Study

(1) In programmes of study mainly by research, students shall be required

to submit a dissertation of up to a maximum of 50,000 words in accordance with the

guidelines issued by the Board.

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

Course after approval of the proposal. Students shall be assigned a supervisor who

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

(3) A provisional title for the dissertation and a detailed research proposal

shall be re-submitted to the Board for approval after completing the compulsory

study-units.

Supervision of Dissertations

(1) In all cases, students shall be required to have regular contact with

their supervisor.

(2) For students following the mainly taught programme, supervisors

shall submit to the Board progress reports for each student under their supervision as

applicable.

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(3) For students following the programme by research, supervisors shall

submit to the Board progress reports about 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.

(4) The reports required in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this bye-law may

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

the student to complete the dissertation; 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 student a chance to be heard.

Classification of 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 mutatis mutandis to

courses followed on a part-time basis, and subject to such changes as may reasonably

be deemed by the Board as necessary due to the part-time nature of the Course.

Repeal

The Bye-Laws of 2010 in terms of the General Regulations for University

Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the degree of Master of Arts – under the auspices of

the Centre for Communication Technology, published as Legal Notice 402 of 2010,

shall be deemed to cease to be in force as from 1 October 2011, provided that students

registered for this course before 1 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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