BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREES OF BACHELOR OF ARTS - B.A. - AND BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONOURS) - B.A. (HONS) - UNDER THE

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF FACULTY OF ARTS

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.240

BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREES OF BACHELOR OF

ARTS - B.A. - AND BACHELOR OF ARTS

(HONOURS) - B.A. (HONS) - UNDER THE

AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS

25th January, 2005

LEGAL NOTICE 11 of 2005, as amended by Legal Notices 112 of 2008,

290 of 2009, 384 of 2010, 38 and 324 of 2013, 211 of 2014, 40, 95 and 336

of 2015, 152, 196 of 2016, 168 of 2017, 145 of 2019, 306 of 2020 and 159

and 288 of 2021, 172 and 322 of 2022 and 125 of 2023.

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

Degrees of Bachelor of Arts - B.A - and Bachelor of Arts

(Honours) - B.A. (Hons) - 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 Board of Studies” means the Board of Studies appointed by

Senate for the Course, on the recommendation of the Board;

“the Course” means the course programme leading to the degree

of Bachelor of Arts - B.A. - or to the degree of Bachelor of Arts

(Honours) - B.A. (Hons) - as appropriate;

“the Degree” means the degree of Bachelor of Arts - B.A. - or the

degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - B.A. (Hons) - as

appropriate; and

“the Principal Regulations” means the General Regulations for

University Undergraduate Awards, 2019. -

These bye-laws shall be applicable

for

courses

commencing from October 2021 or later.

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF FACULTY OF ARTS

(1) The degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) may be awarded

in any one of the following areas of study: Anthropology, Archaeology,

Classics, Contemporary Mediterranean Studies, Dance Studies, English,

European and Global History, Fine Arts, French, Geography, German,

History, History of Art, International Relations, Italian, Linguistics,

Maltese, Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures (Arabic,

Chinese, Hebrew or Near Eastern Studies), Music Studies, Philosophy,

Social Studies, Sociology, Spanish and Latin American Studies, Theatre

Studies and any other area of study recommended by the Board and

approved by Senate.

(2) The degree of Bachelor of Arts may be awarded in any two

areas of study from those listed in paragraph (1) of this bye-law

and, or from

American

Studies,

Communication

Studies,

Comparative Religion, Economics, Greek, Knowledge

and Information Management, Language Technology,

Latin, Mediterranean Studies, Psychology and any

other area of study recommended by the Board and

approved by Senate.

The areas of study offered in any particular year and the

combinations that may and may not be chosen together shall be

published by the Board before the commencement of each course.

(1) 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 the following special course requirements

(a) for Economics, English, French, German, Maltese, a

pass at Grade C or better at Advanced Matriculation Level,

or equivalent, in the subject;

(b) for International Relations, either as a Main area of

study or as a subsidiary area of study, a pass at Grade

C or better at Advanced Matriculation Level, or

equivalent, in either History or Economics or Arabic

or French or German or Russian or Spanish or a pass in

Chinese obtained in the Chinese University/College

Entrance Examination (Gaokao);

(c) for Sociology either as a Main area of study or as a

Subsidiary area of study, a pass at Advanced Matriculation

level, or equivalent, in any of the following subjects

Sociology, Philosophy, Geography, Economics, History,

Home Economics & Human Ecology, Information

Technology, Marketing, Religious Knowledge, Theatre &

Performance;

(d) for Spanish and Latin American Studies either as a

Main Area of study or as a Subsidiary area of study, a

pass at Grade C or better at Advanced Matriculation

Level, or equivalent, in Spanish;

(e) for Communication Studies either as a Main area of

study or as a Subsidiary area of study, a pass at

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF FACULTY OF ARTS

Intermediate Matriculation Level in English, or its

equivalent;

(f)

for History, and European and Global History either

as a Main area of study or as a Subsidiary area of

study, a pass at Advanced Matriculation Level, or

equivalent, in History; and

(g) * for Fine Arts, applicants are required to submit a portfolio

which shall be assessed during an interview held by an

interviewing board, which shall be composed of at least

three members. Applicants who are unsuccessful in the

interview shall not be admitted to the Course.

(h) for Music Studies either as a Main area of study or as a

Subsidiary area of study, undertake an interview and an

audition; applicants with a pass at Grade C or better at

Intermediate Matriculation Level or higher in Music shall

be exempt from both the interview and the audition.

(i)

for Dance Studies, applicants are required to complete an

interview and an audition. Applicants are also required to

submit a completed medical fitness form. Those applicants

who are unable to attend the interview and dance audition

in person may arrange to complete the process through

electronic means of communication.

(j)

For Italian, either as a Main area of study or as a

Subsidiary area of study, a pass at Grade C or better at

Advanced or Intermediate Matriculation Level, in Italian.

(2) † For the area of Fine Arts, the Board shall recommend to Senate

the number of applicants that may be allowed to register, depending on

the availability of resources. The number of available places shall be

announced at the time of the call for applications.

(3) ‡ If the number of applicants for the area of Fine Arts, exceeds the

number of available places, applicants shall be placed in a ranking order

in accordance with the criteria approved by Senate. The University

Admissions Board, after seeking the advice of the Faculty Admissions

Committee, shall first consider eligible applicants whose qualifications

were obtained in the Matriculation Certificate Examination or from

another recognised examining board, if the Faculty Admissions

Committee is satisfied that the qualifications presented are comparable

in content and equivalent in standard to the Matriculation Certificate

Examination in the same subject/s. For the purpose of selection,

applicants whose qualifications were obtained by 31 August preceding

the commencement of the Course and pass the interview as stipulated in

sub-paragraph (h) of paragraph (1) of this bye-law, shall be considered

first. If vacant places are still available, applicants who satisfy all entry

requirements after the 31 August and before the 30 September shall be

considered to take up the remaining places.

(4)

In accordance with the provisions of regulation 16 (1) of the

*For Courses Commencing October 2019 or Later

†For Courses Commencing October 2019 or Later

‡For Courses Commencing October 2019 or Later

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF FACULTY OF ARTS

Admissions Regulations, the Admissions Board, acting on the advice of

the Board, may admit applicants in possession of a Diploma of this

University into the second year of the Course for the Honours degree;

provided that the Diploma falls within one of the areas of study specified

in paragraph (1) of bye-law 3, and provided also that the average mark

for study-units covered in the Diploma is not less than 65%. Such

students may be required to follow a specific programme of study or

additional study-units as directed by the Board of Studies.

(1) The Course shall extend over a period of three years of

full-time study.

(2) Students may also follow the Course on a part-time basis,

over a period of up to six years. Changes in mode of attendance

from full-time to part-time and vice versa may be allowed at the

beginning of the second year of the regular programme of studies.

Further changes in mode of attendance may be considered by the

respective department, if the course programme permits.

Applicants shall be required to indicate their choice of

areas of study at the time of applying for admission.

(1) At the end of the first year of the course, students shall

be required to choose between the B.A. (Hons) and the B.A.

degrees. Students shall be allowed to proceed to the B.A. (Hons)

degree (except in the areas of study listed under paragraph (2) of

bye-law 3) if at the end of the first year of study they obtain a

minimum average mark of 65% in the chosen area of study.

(2) Students who obtain the 65% minimum average mark in the

area of study chosen for the Honours Course but lack up to 12 credits for

any compulsory study-units in this area of study may be allowed to

proceed conditionally to Year II of the B.A. (Hons) Course, provided

that they successfully complete the failed compulsory unit/s during the

following year.

(3) * Students who wish to proceed to the B.A. (Hons) course in a

successfully completed area of study, but do not possess the necessary

average mark of 65% in that area of study (as required by paragraph (1)

of this bye-law) may be allowed by the Board to follow the first year

programme (without exemptions) in that area in an additional year of

study in order to try and obtain the required average mark. This

provision may be availed of once only during the Course.

The Board shall publish the course programme for the

Degree and the programme of study for each area, as Main

Honours, Main and/or as Subsidiary as applicable, at the

commencement of each course. 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 course programme and in the programmes of study

of the areas of study they are following for the Degree

Provided that course programmes and programmes of study

*Commences in 1st July 2019

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF FACULTY OF ARTS

are drawn up in accordance with the relevant provisions of the

Principal Regulations.

(1) The final year of the programmes of study of all areas

of study for B.A. (Hons) students shall include two synoptic study-

units assigned a total of 12 credits and a dissertation assigned 12

credits.

(2) The final year of the programmes of study of each area of

study for B.A. students shall include synoptic study-units to which

a total of 12 credits are assigned.

(3) Synoptic study-units shall be assessed by means of a Final

Examination only, to be taken at the end of the last semester of the

Course, and the dissertation shall be assessed by a viva voce

examination.

(1) Students in the B.A.(Hons) course 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 132

credits shall be in the area taken for Honours and not less than 36

credits shall be in the Subsidiary area;

provided that for students admitted in terms of paragraph (4) of bye-

law 5, the study-units for the Subsidiary area shall be taken from the

various areas of study on offer, which shall be collectively termed as

“Humanities”.

(2) Students in the B.A. course 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 80 credits shall be

obtained in each of the two Main areas of study.

The final weighted average mark for the classification of

the Degree shall be based on the results obtained in the three years

of the course, which shall be weighted as follows

First Year Average Mark

10%

Second Year Average Mark

25%

Third Year Average Mark of the synoptic

and/or dissertation study-units

40%

Third Year Average Mark of the other 36 credits 25%.

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.