L.S. 327.209 Ordinamenti għall-Grad ta’ Master of Arts in Law taħt il-patroċinju tal-Fakultà tal-Liġi

(1)The title of these bye-laws is the Bye-Laws for the Degree of Master of Arts in Law under the auspices of the Faculty of Laws.

(2)Citation and interpretation. In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires - "the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Laws; "the course" means the programme of study leading to the Degree of Master of Arts in Law; "the Degree" means the degree of Master of Arts in Law; "the Postgraduate Diploma" means the Postgraduate Diploma in Law; and "the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards. S.L. 327.328

1. These bye-laws shall be commencing in October 2016 or later. Applicability. Amended by: L.N. 456 of
2. applicable for courses
3. The course shall be offered in areas of study in law and related areas that fall within the academic responsibility of the Board, after approval by Senate. Areas of study. 4.

(1)The course shall be open to applicants in possession of the following qualifications: Requirements for admission. Amended by: L.N. 456 of 2016. (

1. a)for the mainly by research course: (
2. i)the degree of Doctor of Laws; or (
3. ii)the degree of Bachelor of Laws with at least Category II; or (iii) the degree of Bachelor of Laws (Honours) with at least Second Class Honours; or (
4. iv)equivalent qualifications to those listed in subparagraphs (
5. i)to (iii) above as approved by Senate on the recommendation of the Board. (
6. b)For the mainly taught course: (
7. i)a Bachelor’s degree in law, including the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Legal and Humanistic Studies and the Bachelor of Arts in Socio-Legal Studies, obtained with at least Second Class Honours or Category II; or 2 [ S.L.327.209 DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF LAWS (
8. ii)a first cycle qualification other than a degree in law, classified with at least Second Class Honours or Category II, in an area of study related to law and to the programme of study as approved by Senate; or (iii) equivalent qualifications to those listed in subparagraph (i), as approved by Senate on the recommendation of the Board.

(2)Applicants may be required to sit for an interview before being accepted for the course. The interview shall assess the suitability of those applicants in regard to the particular programme of study offered in the course for which they have applied. The decision of the Board of Studies shall be final.

(3)Interviews shall be carried out by an Interviewing Board set up for the purpose and consisting of at least three members. Course duration.

1. The course shall extend over three semesters of full-time study or the equivalent in part-time study. Programme of study.
2. The programme of study shall comprise study-units to which a total of 90 credits shall be assigned. Programme of study may be either mainly taught or mainly by research. 7.

(1)The programme of study for any area of study offered in the course may be either mainly taught or mainly by research.

(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.

(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)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. 8.

(1)The assessment of the taught study-units shall be held by the end of the semester in which the teaching of the study-units is completed, including the period reserved for end of semester assessments.

(2)Students following a taught programme of study who in any academic year fail in the assessment of not more than 20 credits, if following the full-time course, or not more than 10 credits if following the part-time course, 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 DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF LAWS [ S.L.327.209 3 fail to obtain credit for any study-unit, shall be required to withdraw from the course. 9.

(1)In a mainly taught programme 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. Dissertations.

(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 by the beginning of the second semester. 10.

(1)In a mainly by research programme of study, students shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of approximately 50,000 words in accordance with the guidelines regarding format issued by the Board. The dissertation must also satisfy the Board as regards content and presentation. Programme of study mainly by research.

(2)Work on the dissertation may be undertaken at any time during the course after approval of the research proposal. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor who shall provide guidance and advice on a regular basis during the period of study.

(3)The provisional title of the dissertation and a detailed research proposal shall be submitted to the Board for approval at the time of application. 11. In all cases, students shall be required to have regular contact with their supervisors, who 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)Supervisors. 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. 12. 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. 13. 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. Special provisions for part-time courses.