BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.175

BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF

ARTS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF

THE FACULTY OF ARTS

13th March, 2009

LEGAL NOTICE 65 of 2009, as amended by Legal Notices 304 of 2010,

49, 208 and 329 of 2013, 96, 314 and 343 of 2014, 271 and 349 of 2015,

23, 200 and 359 of 2016, 10 of 2017,235 of 2017, 78 of 2018, 375 of 2018,

45 of 2022 and 88 of 2023.

(1) The title of these bye-laws is the Bye-Laws for the

Degree of Master of Arts under the auspices of the Faculty of Arts.

(2)

In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires -

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Arts;

"the course" means the programme of study leading to the degree

of Master of Arts;

"the Degree" means the degree of Master of Arts in the relevant

area of study;

"the Postgraduate Certificate" means the Postgraduate Certificate

in the relevant area of study;

"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.

These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in

October 2018 or later.

The course shall be offered in any area of study that falls

within the academic responsibility of the Board, after approval by

Senate.

(1) 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) the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with Second

Class or better in the same or in a closely related area of

study as the area of study applied for provided that the

Board may consider applicants in possession of the degree

with Third Class Honours only if it is satisfied that such

applicants are in possession of other qualifications,

including relevant experience, obtained following the first

cycle degree; or

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

related area of study as that applied for, with an average

mark of not less than 55% in that area; or

(c) a degree from this or from another university which the

Board considers as comparable to any of the degrees

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

This comparability may, in exceptional cases, extend to

applicants proposing a research topic which in itself

bridges the area of study of the first degree and the one

being applied for. In such cases, applicants would be

required to attend an interview to assess their suitability, in

accordance with procedures established by the Board.

(2) In the case of a mainly taught course and depending on the

nature of the programme, the Board may allow applicants possessing a

degree other than those specified in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of

paragraph (1) of this bye-law to join the Course subject to an interview

to establish whether they have sufficient proficiency and background to

be able to profit from the Course.

(3) Applicants for the English Language stream of the MA in

English who are not in possession of an undergraduate degree in

English or in a closely related area, but who hold a DELTA

(Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults) or Dip.TESOL

(Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

qualification, may be eligible to follow this course.

(4) Applicants for the course in Fine Arts shall be asked to

provide evidence of their professional experience in Fine Arts by

means of a portfolio.

(5) The Admissions Board may admit into the area of study

‘Film Studies’ up to two applicants not in possession of a first cycle

degree, if it is satisfied that such applicants are in possession of

professional qualifications or experience closely related to the area

of study, which in the judgement of the interviewing board enable

such applicants to follow the course with profit. The admission of

such applicants shall not be subject to the selection criteria

approved by Senate in terms of these bye-laws. If there are more

than two such applicants, selection shall be based on the length of

the relevant experience or the quality of relevant output.

(6) Depending on the availability of resources, the Board shall

determine the number of applicants that may be allowed to register

in particular areas of study. For areas where student enrolment is

limited, the Board shall announce the number of available places,

and the criteria for selection of applicants at the time of the call for

applications.

(7) For the purpose of selection, applicants whose

qualifications, as stipulated in paragraph (1) of this bye-law were

obtained by 31 August preceding the commencement of the course

shall be considered first.

In the case of a mainly research course

(i)

the Board may require applicants admitted under sub-

paragraphs (b) and if necessary (c) of paragraph (1) of

bye-law 4, to follow and pass supplementary study-

units at Level 3 or lower, as specified in the

Undergraduate General Regulations, to which not

more than 12 ECTS credits shall be assigned. These

study-units shall be followed concurrently with the

programme of study for the Course; and

(ii) applicants in possession of a degree with Third Class

Honours or Category III shall be required to complete

a preparatory programme, comprising not less than 30

and not more than 60 ECTS credits as directed by the

Board, with an overall average mark of 55% or better,

prior to their registration as regular students on the

Course. The number of credits included in the

preparatory programme will be determined by the

Board..

The course shall extend over three semesters of full-time

study or the equivalent in part-time study.

The programme of study shall comprise study-units to

which a total of 90 credits shall be assigned.

(1) The programme of study for any area of study offered

in the course may be either mainly taught or mainly by research.

(2)

(a) 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.

(b) 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.

(c) Students who obtain 30 credits assigned to the taught

study-units and do not proceed with the course, shall

be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate

in the relevant area of study.

(3) 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.

(4) In cases where applicants lack essential knowledge in the

area of research methodology, the Board may require students

admitted to the Course to follow and pass supplementary study-

unit/s in the said area to which a maximum of 10 credits are

assigned in addition to the programme of study specified in bye-

law 7.

(5) 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.

(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 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), or students who after re-assessment

fail to obtain the credits for any study-unit, shall be deemed to have

failed the course.

(4) When examining a dissertation, the Board of Examiners

shall follow the Marking Criteria and Descriptors as approved by

the Board.

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

be required to submit an individual dissertation of approximately

25,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the

Board.

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

third semester of the course. Each student 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 submitted to the Board for approval not

later than six weeks before the end of the second semester.

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

be required to submit an individual dissertation of approximately

50,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the

Board,

provided that in cases where a project and a dissertation are

required, the dissertation shall be of between 20,000 and 25,000

words.

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

during the course after approval of the proposal. Each student 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 submitted to the Board for approval at

the time of application.

(1) In all cases, students shall be 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 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.

The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the

classification of the Postgraduate Diploma and the Degree shall be

ba s e d o n th e r e s u l t s o bt a i ne d i n al l t he c o m p o ne n ts of t h e

programme of study, all credits being weighted equally.

(1) The Board may, from time to time, offer students the

opportunity to follow the course on a part-time basis in areas of

study which shall be indicated before the commencement of each

course.

(2) 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.