PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES [ S.L.327.490 1 SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.490 PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES REGULATIONS 27th June, 2014 LEGAL NOTICE 221 of 2014, as amended by Legal Notice 27 of 2016 240 of 2019, 16 of 2020, 95 of 2023 and 124 of
- The title of these regulations is the Programme in the Liberal Arts and Sciences under the auspices of the Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences Regulations. Citation.
- These regulations shall be applicable from 1st December, 2019 onwards. Applicability. Amended by: L.N. 27 of 2016; L.N. 240 of 2019; L.N. 16 of 2020;
- In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms used shall be taken to mean as indicated in the Glossary of Terms listed hereunder: Interpretation. Glossary of Terms Explanation A U n i v e r s i t y C e r t i f i c a t e , a U n i v e r si t y Diploma, a University Higher Diploma, a Bachelor degree awarded as specified in these regulations. Award Classification The Award Classification Board appointed Board t o d ecid e o n the fina l c lassifica tio n of students eligible for the award of a diploma or degree. Board of Studies The Board of Studies appointed to administer the Programme in terms of these regulations. Catalogue of Units A Catalogue of Units is the collection of all the Units offered in this Programme and shall be published online. The detailed description of each Unit shall indicate its type, level, code, title, content and learning outcomes, credit value, method of teaching and assessment, including the percentage weighting of each assessment component when applicable. Credit Credits are awarded for successful completion of each Unit. Term Award/s 2 [ S.L.327.490 PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES Credit System Method of Assessment Programme Unit University The allocation of credit to Units forming part of the Programme according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) proposed by the European Commission. Assessment of Units may be through coursework, assignments, written or oral examinations, other methods of assessment as approved by Senate, or combinations of these, to each of which a percentage of the final mark shall be assigned. The Method of Assessment for each Unit shall be indicated in the detailed description of the Units that is published in the Catalogue of Units. The Programme in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. A part of the Programme carried out upon a syllabus approved by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board of Studies, to which a specified number of Credits at an indicated level is assigned, and which is capable of separate assessment. A Unit may take the form of a series of lectures, tutorials, the writing of an extended essay, private study, or a combination of such work, or any other method of teaching. The University of Malta. Admission requirements.
- Units in the Programme are open to persons who are deemed to have the ability to follow such Units with profit. A c c e p t a n c e m a y b e s u b j e c t t o a s h o r t i n t e r v i e w. C e r t a i n qualifications and/or experience may be specified for particular Units. Application for Units. 5.
(1)Applicants shall register for Units offered in a particular semester within the time specified by the Office of the Registrar.
(2)The University shall announce the Units on offer during a particular semester or year at least one month before the commencement of the semester. Academic calendar.
- The University shall announce the date of commencement and completion of each Unit at the time when the Units are made available to the public for registration. Language of instruction and assessment.
- The language of instruction and assessment shall be English, except that for areas of study involving a language, teaching and assessment shall be in that language. Senate may also approve the delivery of a Unit in Maltese or in any other language. Units.
- Units shall be approved by Senate on the recommendation of the Board of Studies. PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES [ S.L.327.490 9.
(1)Units shall be offered at Introductory and Higher Levels. 3 Levels. Substituted by: L.N. 95 of 2023.
(2)Units offered at the Introductory Level shall not require students to have academic preparation or knowledge, skills and competences in the subject area beyond that acquired at the end of secondary education. The level attained on successful completion of the Unit shall be that of a first year Unit of a University U n d e rg r a d u a t e Aw a r d , e q u i v a l e n t t o L e v e l 5 o n t h e M a l t a Qualifications Framework.
(3)Units offered at the Higher Level may require students to have knowledge, skills and competences in the subject area of the Unit comparable to, or that acquired from, an Introductory Level Unit offered in the Programme. This does not necessarily imply that every Unit offered at the Higher Level will have a corresponding Unit at the Introductory Level. Units offered at the Higher Level shall be equivalent to Level 6 on the Malta Qualifications Framework. 10.
(1)Students who obtained Credits when registered on courses offered by this University may have their Credits accepted by the Board of Studies for transfer towards the Programme; Transfer of credits. Substituted by: L.N. 240 of 2019; L.N. 124 of 2025. provided that if these Credits have already been counted towards the award of another qualification of this University or any other university as approved by Senate, a note to this effect will be included in the transcript or Diploma Supplement issued.
(2)The transfer of Credits referred to in paragraph
(1)of this bye-law can only be approved if (
- i)the student is interested in pursuing a higher level qualification within this Programme; and (
- ii)the student is required to take a number of micro-credentials offered by the Centre out of the total number of Credits required for the award of the qualification as follows: (
- a)for the Certificate in Liberal Studies at least 8 Credits shall be taken from the Programme; (
- b)for the Diploma in Liberal Studies at least 16 Credits shall be taken from the Programme; (
- c)for the Higher Diploma in Liberal Studies at least 24 Credits shall be taken from the Programme; (
- d)for the degree of Bachelor in Liberal Studies at least 32 Credits shall be taken from the Programme. 11. Attendance is compulsory but students may be exempted from attending lectures by the lecturer concerned for valid reasons. Attendance. 12. The Board of the Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences shall act as the Board of Studies for the Programme. Board of Studies. 13. The election of the student members shall be held annually during the first half of the first semester. Election of student members. 14. A Credit value is assigned to each Unit, indicating the total learning time, including time devoted to tuition, private study and assessment, which an average student might be expected to spend Credits. 4 [ S.L.327.490 PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES in achieving the learning outcomes associated with the Unit; one Credit nominally represents twenty-five hours of learning, of which five to seven hours are normally direct teaching when a Unit is imparted in the standard lecturing mode. Assignment of Credits. Assessment Marking and Grading. Substituted by: L.N. 16 of 2020. 15. Units shall normally be assigned four or eight Credits. 16. Examiners shall express the student’s performance in the assessment of Units as a percentage mark and as a grade as indicated in the table below. Both the percentage mark and the letter grade shall be recorded in the student’s academic record. For the purpose of determining the award classification, the percentage mark shall be used. Descriptor Work displaying exceptional quality Exceptional performance showing comprehensive and critical understanding, and application of the subject matter. Evidence of extensive additional reading/research/work. Work displaying comprehensive and critical understanding Superior performance showing a comprehensive and critical understanding of the subject matter. Evidence of considerable additional reading/ research/work. Work displaying comprehensive understanding Performance showing a very good working knowledge of the subject matter. Evidence of a moderate amount of additional reading/research/ work. Work displaying substantial understanding Above-average performance, with a working knowledge of the subject matter. Evidence of some additional reading/research/work. Work displaying sound understanding Average performance. Evidence of little additional reading/research/work. Work displaying satisfactory understanding Adequate performance. No evidence of additional reading/research/work. Mark Range 90%100% Grad e A+ 80% 89% A 75% 79% B+ 70% 74% B 60% 69% C+ 55% 59% C PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES Work displaying satisfactory understanding with shortcomings Adequate but inconsistent performance. No evidence of additional reading/research/work. Work displaying basic understanding Marginal performance, satisfying minimum criteria. Work displaying inadequate understanding to varying degrees. [ S.L.327.490 50% 54% D+ 45% 49% D 0% - 44% F 17. The following grade when assigned to Units shall not be taken into consideration for computation purposes but forms part of the student’s academic record: Grade I 5 Grade. Descriptor Te m p o r a r y g r a d e f o r I n c o m p l e t e w o r k d u e t o justifiable reasons (illness, approved absence, etc.) for which the deadline for submission of work has been extended or the assessment date has been postponed, provided that the student is examined during the first available session. 18. The Method of Assessment for each Unit shall be indicated in the Unit description and published in the online Catalogue of Units. Assessment methods. 19. When the Method of Assessment comprises more than one assessment component, the percentage weighting of each component shall be given. Students shall be awarded the Credits associated with the Unit if they obtain an overall weighted mark of 45% or higher for the Unit as a whole. More than one assessment component. 20. Unless in special circumstances and with the approval of Senate, all students on the same Unit shall be assessed by the same method/s of assessment. Supplementary assessments shall normally have the same mode of assessment as the corresponding first assessment, provided that a different mode of assessment may be approved by the Board of Studies in special circumstances. Same method/s of assessment. 21.
(1)Assessment may be made: (
- a)in a continuous mode, i.e. by a set of assessments, which may take the form of class tests, take-home Assessment. 6 [ S.L.327.490 PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES assignments, oral tests, or a combination of two or more of these methods, or any other method of continuous assessment approved by the Senate distributed throughout the Unit; or (
- b)in a final mode, i.e. by a single assessment at the end of the Unit; or (
- c)in a continuous and final mode, i.e. partly by a set of assessments distributed throughout the Unit and partly by an assessment at the end of the Unit. S.L. 327.88
(2)Unit assessments shall be conducted in terms of the University Assessment Regulations. Coursework. 22. Any work assigned as coursework for continuous assessment purposes shall always be submitted before the date of the examination to be taken at the end of the Unit. When a Unit is assessed by coursework only, the date of submission of the work shall not be set later than the last day of the examination session following the semester during which the Unit is given. Supplementary assessments. 23.
(1)Students who fail any Unit shall be allowed a supplementary assessment provided they satisfy all other requirements as may be relevant to the Unit. A failed Unit shall be re-examined once only.
(2)Students who fail a Unit due to unjustified absence for an assessment or due to non-submission of coursework by the set deadlines may be allowed a supplementary session at the discretion of the Unit lecturer/s. Supplementary assessment of a failed Unit.
- In the supplementary assessment of a failed Unit, students may be required to be reassessed either in particular component/s of the assessment or in all the components of the assessment as indicated in the description of the Unit. An assessment component may be indicated as not having the possibility of a supplementary assessment, in which case the original mark obtained in the component is retained. Maximum mark/ grade in supplementary assessments.
- In supplementary assessments, the maximum mark/grade that may be awarded shall be 45%, grade D. Holding of supplementary assessments.
- Supplementary assessments shall be held as follows: (a) for the continuous assessment mode: by arrangement with the lecturer concerned provided that reassessment is completed before the end of the supplementary assessment session; and (b) for the examination mode: at the supplementary session of examinations. Eligibility for Awards. Amended by: L.N. 27 of 2016; L.N. 95 of
- 27.
(1)Students shall be entitled to a Certificate of Achievement for each successfully completed Unit and may request a transcript detailing the successfully completed Units.
(2)Students shall be awarded qualifications as follows: PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES [ S.L.327.490 7 (
- a)a Certificate in Liberal Studies if they obtain at least 30 Credits; of which not less than 26 credits shall be at the Introductory Level; (
- b)a Diploma in Liberal Studies if they obtain at least 60 Credits, of which not less than 56 credits shall be at the Introductory Level; (
- c)a Higher Diploma in Liberal Studies if they obtain at least 120 Credits, of which not less than 56 credits shall be at the Higher Level; (
- d)a degree of Bachelor in Liberal Studies if they obtain at least 180 Credits, which shall include not less than 100 Credits at the Higher Level, and which may include a long essay or extended project assigned 12 Credits, and provided that in all cases, students (
- i)may be allowed to offer Higher Level credits in substitution of the required credits at the Introductory Level; and (
- ii)shall also satisfy any other requirements as specified in these Regulations. 28.
(1)The Certificate in Liberal Studies shall be awarded unclassified. Classification of the Awards.
(2)The names of students who qualify for the award of the Diploma and the Higher Diploma in Liberal Studies shall be published in a list in alphabetical order and classified as follows: Pass with Distinction Pass with Merit Pass.
(3)The names of students who qualify for the award of the B a c h e l o r i n L i b e r a l St u d i e s s h a l l b e p u b l i s h e d i n a l i s t i n alphabetical order and classified as follows: Category I Category IIA Category IIB Category III. 29.
(1)The Award Classification Board shall be composed of the members of the Board of Studies, excluding the student representatives, and the external examiner when one is appointed.
(2)The Award Classification Board shall consult the following guidelines when deciding upon the classification of the Awards at the end of the Course: (
- a)The Diploma and the Higher Diploma are normally awarded as follows: Final Weighted Average Mark Classification 100 - 80% Pass with Distinction 79 - 70% Pass with Merit Award Classification Board. 8 [ S.L.327.490 PROGRAMME IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTRE FOR THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES 69 - 45% Pass. (
- b)The Bachelor’s degree is normally awarded as follows: Average Mark Classification of the Degree 100% - 80% Category I 79% - 70% Category IIA 69% - 55% Category IIB 54% - 45% Category III. Misconduct. 30. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner which does not impair the functioning of the University, including any of its physical resources, and the reasonable freedom of other persons to pursue their studies, research, duties or lawful activities at the University or to participate in the life of the University. Consequences of unfulfilled obligations. 31. A student in debt to the University, or otherwise having unfulfilled obligations to the University, shall not be permitted to re-register in any succeeding semesters, nor shall any award be given to a student in debt or having unfulfilled obligations, except by special permission of the Rector, or until the debt is paid or the obligation is fulfilled. General provision. S.L. 327.236 32. In matters not provided for by these regulations, the Board of Studies shall be guided by the provisions of the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, and by any other Statute, Regulations and Bye Laws as applicable.