under the auspices of the Faculty of Laws

L.N. 300 of 2020

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Master of Laws in the Prevention and Suppression of International

Crime at Sea - LL.M. -

Degree Course Regulations, 2020

under the auspices of the Faculty of Laws

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 regulations made by the Senate of the University of Malta

by virtue of the powers conferred upon it by articles 75 (3) and 79 (b) of the said Act

Citation and Interpretation

(1) These regulations may be cited as the Master of Laws in the

Prevention and Suppression of International Crime at Sea - LL.M. - Degree

Course Regulations, 2020.

(2)

In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -

“the Board” means the Board of the Faculty of Laws;

“the Board of Studies” means the Board of Studies responsible for the academic

administration and organisation of the Course, which shall include members from

each Partner Institution;

“the Course” means the programme of study developed by the Partner

Institutions leading to the degree of Master of Laws in the Prevention and Suppression

of International Crime at Sea - LL.M.;

“the Degree” means the degree of Master of Laws in the Prevention and

Suppression of International Crime at Sea - LL.M.;

“the Postgraduate Diploma” means the Postgraduate Diploma in the

Prevention and Suppression of International Crime at Sea - P.G. Dip.;

“the Partner Institutions” means the institutions taking part in the teaching

of the programme for the Master of Laws in the Prevention and Suppression of

International Crime at Sea, namely

University of Malta; and

University of Ferrara;

“the Senate” means the Senate of the University of Malta; and

“the University” means the University of Malta.

(3) This Degree is a joint Degree of the University and this shall

be taken to mean that the Course is taught by both Partner Institutions within the

framework of a joint degree programme. The qualifications shall only be awarded if

the Partner Institutions declare the student to be eligible for the award.

Applicability

These regulations shall be applicable for courses commencing in

October 2020 or later.

Requirements for Admission

(1) The Course shall be open to applicants in possession of a first cycle

degree in Law or any other area of study which the Board considers as appropriate,

provided that the first cycle degree is obtained with at least Second Class Honours

or Category II, or an equivalent qualification, from the University or from another

higher education institution recognized by Senate.

(2) Applicants not in possession of a degree in Law shall also be

required to satisfy the Board that they are in possession of professional experience in

an environment related to crime at sea.

(3) Depending on the availability of resources, the Senate, on the

recommendation of the Board of Studies, shall determine the number of applicants

that may be allowed to register on the Course. The number of available places shall

be announced at the time of the call for applications.

(4) If there are more eligible applicants than there are available places,

applications shall be evaluated on the basis of the criteria as agreed by the Partner

Institutions and published at the time of the call for applications.

Course Duration

(1) The Course shall extend over three semesters of full-time

study which shall include the summer period.

(2) The Board of Studies may allow students to extend their studies

by not more than six months, provided that in special circumstances, Senate, on the

recommendation of the Board of Studies, may grant students a further extension of

up to two years in order to enable them to complete their studies.

Registration for the Course

Applicants wishing to register for the Course shall apply on the

prescribed form by not later than the end of May prior to the commencement of the

Course. The Board may also extend this deadline up to the end of June should the

minimum number of students not be reached.

Programme of Study

(1) The programme of study shall consist of study-units to which a

total of 90 ECTS credits shall be assigned, and shall comprise 60 ECTS credits for

taught study-units and 30 ECTS credits for the dissertation study-unit.

(2) Students shall be eligible for the award of the Degree if they

obtain the 90 ECTS credits as outlined in the programme of study for the Course with

an average mark of at least 50%.

(3) Students who obtain the 60 ECTS 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 Course, shall be eligible for the

award of the Postgraduate Diploma.

(4) The Board shall publish the programme of study prior to the

commencement of the Course, following the approval of Senate.

(5) All students shall be required to attend at least 70% of all lectures

as indicated in the programme of study for the Course, at the venues indicated by the

Board of Studies.

Catalogue of Study-Units

The Board of Studies shall draw up a catalogue of all study-units. The

catalogue shall indicate the level, code, title, description and type of each study-unit,

the ECTS credits assigned to each study-unit, the methods of teaching and assessment,

as well as the re-assessment opportunities for each study-unit.

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) Results for the assessment of the study-units and the dissertation

shall be published as a percentage mark and grade as indicated below

Mark Range

Grade

80% - 100%

A

70% - 79%

B

55% - 69%

C

50% - 54%

D

45% - 49%

E

0% - 44%

Fail

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

more than 20 ECTS credits for taught study-units shall be given the opportunity to

re-sit the failed assessments during the September examination session. If successful

on re-assessment, the marks/grade to be awarded shall be 45%/E.

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

under paragraph (3) of this regulation or students who after re-assessment fail to

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

(5) If a student is prevented for a reason considered valid by Senate

from being assessed in a taught study-unit, the student may be granted an additional

year of study, unless the course is discontinued.

Dissertation

(1) Students shall be required to submit an individual dissertation

of approximately 15,000 - 20,000 words, excluding references and appendices, in

accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board of Studies.

(2) Dissertations shall normally be written in English. However, the

Board of Studies may allow students to write their dissertation in any other language

provided that the Board of Studies has ascertained to the satisfaction of Senate, that the

Partner Institutions have the necessary expertise to supervise and examine the work. In

such cases, students shall be required to include a translation of the abstract in English.

(3) Work on the dissertation shall be undertaken during the third

semester of the Course.

(4) Students shall submit for approval a title and a detailed research

proposal by the beginning of the second semester in the format specified by the Board

of Studies.

(5)

Students shall seek approval from the Board of Studies for any

substantial modification in the title or content of the dissertation.

(6) When submitting a dissertation, students are required to submit

separately a signed declaration that the dissertation is their own original work.

(7) Before graduating, students shall present an electronic version of

the dissertation to each Partner Institution. The electronic version must conform to

the standards set by each Partner Institution.

(1) The Board of Studies shall appoint a supervisor for each student.

Students shall be required to have regular contact with their supervisor.

(2) Supervisors shall submit to the Board of Studies progress reports

for each student under their supervision. Such reports 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 paragraph (2) of regulation 4 and

(ii) the Board of Studies may not terminate studies prematurely

according to (b) until it has first given the student a chance to be heard.

(3) The role of the supervisor shall cease when the dissertation is

submitted for examination but may be re-assumed, on the advice of the Board of

Examiners, in order to provide guidance to students whose dissertation is referred

back for significant correction pending final acceptance.

Each dissertation shall be examined by a Board of Examiners, composed

of two members, one chosen from the University of Malta and one chosen from the

University of Ferrara. In addition, the Board of Studies may choose to appoint an

external examiner who has expertise in the area of study.

(1) Students whose dissertation is found unsatisfactory may be

allowed by the Board of Studies, on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners,

to resubmit it in a revised form, within a period of six months from the day on which

it is referred back to them.

(2) If a student fails in a dissertation, the maximum marks/grade that

can be awarded after re-assessment shall be 50%/D.

Classification of the Awards

(1)

The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the

classification of the Postgraduate Diploma and of the Degree shall be based on the

results obtained in all the components of the programme of study, all credits being

weighted equally.

(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the Postgraduate

Diploma and the Degree shall be published in a list in alphabetical order classified as

follows

Pass with Distinction

Pass with Merit

Pass.

(3) The Award Classification Board shall consult the following

guidelines when deciding upon the final classification of the Postgraduate Diploma

and the Degree

Final Weighted Average Mark

Classification

80 – 100%

Pass with Distinction

70 – 79%

Pass with Merit

50 – 69%

Pass.

The two awards shall be awarded jointly by both Partner Institutions

following agreement between both Partner Institutions.

€0.54