L.S. 327.175 Ordinamenti għall-Grad ta’ Master of Arts taħt il-patroċinju tal-Fakultà ta’ l-Arti

(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 - Citation and interpretation. Amended by: L.N. 96 of

1. "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. S.L. 327.328
2. These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October 2018 or later. Applicability. Amended by: L.N. 304 of 2010; L.N. 49 of 2013; L.N. 208 of 2013; L.N. 339 of 2013; L.N. 96 of 2014; L.N. 314 of 2014; L.N. 343 of 2014; L.N. 271 of 2015; L.N. 349 of 2015; L.N. 23 of 2016; L.N. 200 of 2016; L.N. 359 of 2016; L.N. 10 of 2017; L.N. 235 of 2017; L.N.78 of 2018; L.N. 375 of
4. The course shall be offered in any area of study that falls within the academic responsibility of the Board, after approval by Senate. Areas of study. 2 [ S.L.327.175 Requirements for admission. Amended by: L.N. 304 of
5. Substituted by: L.N. 49 of
6. Amended by: L.N. 208 of 2013; L.N. 314 of 2014; L.N. 343 of 2014; L.N. 271 of 2015; L.N. 349 of 2015; L.N. 23 of 2016; L.N. 200 of 2016; L.N. 235 of 2017; L.N. 78 of 2018; L.N. 375 of
7. DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS 4.

(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: (

1. 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 (
2. 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 (
3. c)a degree from this or from another university which the Board considers as comparable to any of the degrees indicated in sub-paragraphs (
4. a)and (
5. 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 DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS [ S.L.327.175 3 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. 5. In the case of a mainly research course: (i) the Board may require applicants admitted under subparagraphs (b) and if necessary (c) of paragraph

(1)of bye-law 4, to follow and pass supplementary studyunits 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 Supplementary and Preparatory Programme. Amended by: L.N. 304 of

1. Substituted by: L.N. 49 of
2. Amended by: L.N. 359 of
3. Substituted by: L.N. 45 of 2022; L.N. 88 of
4. (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..
5. The course shall extend over three semesters of full-time study or the equivalent in part-time study. Course duration.
6. The programme of study shall comprise study-units to which a total of 90 credits shall be assigned. Programme of study. 8.

(1)The programme of study for any area of study offered in the course may be either mainly taught or mainly by research. Programme of study taught or by research. Substituted by: L.N. 49 of 2013. Amended by: L.N. 96 of 2014.

(2)(

1. 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. (
2. 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. (
3. 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 [ S.L.327.175 DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS

(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 studyunit/s in the said area to which a maximum of 10 credits are assigned in addition to the programme of study specified in byelaw 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. Assessment and progress. Amended by: L.N. 339 of 2013; L.N. 235 of 2017; L.N. 45 of 2022. 9.

(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. Dissertations. 10.

(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. Research programmes of study. Amended by: L.N. 10 of 2017. 11.

(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. DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS [ S.L.327.175 5

(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. 12.

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

1. a)extend the period of study in order to enable the student to complete the dissertation; or (
2. b)terminate studies prematurely if the supervisor deems this to be proper in the circumstances, provided that: (
3. i)the extension of the study period referred to in (
4. a)shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Principal Regulations; and (
5. ii)the Board may not terminate studies prematurely according to (
6. b)until it has first given the student a chance to be heard. 13. 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. Classification of the Awards. 14.

(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. Special provisions for part-time courses.

(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.