BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY - M.SC. ICT -

DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY - M.SC. ICT. - UNDER THE

AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.342

BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF

SCIENCE IN INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY - M.SC. ICT -

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY

OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGY

20th March, 2009

LEGAL NOTICE 73 of 2009, as amended by Legal Notices 459 of 2014,

362 of 2016, 342 of 2017, 133 of 2019 and 47 and 279 of 2022.

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

Degree of Master of Science in Information and Communication

Technology - M.Sc. ICT - under the auspices of the Faculty of

Information and Communication Technology.

(2)

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

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Information and

Communication Technology;

"Board of Studies" means the Board of Studies appointed by

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

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

of Master of Science in Information and Communication

Technology - M.Sc. ICT;

"the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Science in

Information and Communication Technology - M.Sc. ICT;

"the Postgraduate Diploma" means the Postgraduate Diploma in

Information and Communication Technology - P.G.Dip.ICT; and

"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for

University Postgraduate Awards.

These bye-laws shall be

applicable

for

courses

commencing in October 2019 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) Applicants for the Signal Processing and Machine

Learning area of study shall be in possession of one of the

following qualifications

(a) the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in any

area of study deemed relevant by the Board; or

(b) the degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).

(2)

Applicants for the course in any other area of study shall,

DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY - M.SC. ICT. - UNDER THE

AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

subject to the conditions laid down in bye-law 5, be in possession

of one of the following qualifications

(a) a Bachelor degree with a strong ICT component obtained

with at least Second Class Honours (Upper Division) and

comprising 180 ECTS credits or more;

(b) the degree of Bachelor of Science in Information

Technology (Honours); or

(c) the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in

Computer Engineering or the degree of Bachelor

Science (Honours) in Computing Science; or

(d) the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in two

areas of study, one of which is an area related to ICT;

or

(e) the degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in a

suitable area of study; or

(f)

the degree of Bachelor of Science in two areas of

study, one of which is an area related to ICT; or

(g) a degree with a strong ICT component comparable to

the degrees listed in (a) to (f).

(h) Eligible applicants may register as visiting students for

individual study-units and obtain credit for them.

Subject to approval by the Board, credits awarded for

any such study-units may be transferred to the Course,

provided that not more than seven years have elapsed

from the successful completion of the study-unit.

When credit for more than one study-unit is being

transferred to the Course, then the seven years shall

commence from the date of the last credit awarded.

(1) Applicants registering under bye-law 4(f) and (g) shall

be required to complete a preparatory programme, comprising not

less than 30 credits and not more than 60 credits as directed by the

Board, with an average mark of 55% or better, prior to their

registration as regular students on the course.

(2) Preparatory programmes or study shall also be governed by

the Principal Regulations.

The course shall extend over four 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 120 credits shall be assigned.

The programme of study shall comprise taught study-units

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

unit to which 60 credits are assigned.

Students who obtain the 60 credits for 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 the Postgraduate

DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY - M.SC. ICT. - UNDER THE

AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Diploma.

In cases where an applicant lacks essential knowledge in

particular areas not covered in his/her first degree, the Board, on

the recommendation of the Board of Studies, may require the

applicant to follow and pass supplementary study-units at level 3 or

lower to which not more than 12 ECTS credits are assigned.

The programme of study shall be published 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 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 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.

(1) Students shall be required to submit an individual

dissertation of a maximum of 40,000 words in accordance with the

guidelines issued by the respective Board of Studies.

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

third and fourth semesters 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) Students shall be required to report to their supervisors

at least once every two months, and in addition as often as the

supervisor deems necessary.

(2) At the end of each semester of studies supervisors shall be

required to submit to the Board of Studies reports regarding the

students under their supervision. Students shall seek approval from

the Board of Studies for any substantial modification in the title or

content of the dissertation.

(3) The Board of Studies shall periodically inform the Board,

in writing, on the general performance of each student. Such advice

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

DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY - M.SC. ICT. - UNDER THE

AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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 of the Degree shall

be based on the results obtained in all the components of the

programme of study, all credits being weighted equally.

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.