L.S. 327.498 Ordinamenti għall-grad ta’ Master of Science - M.Sc. - taħt il-patroċinju tal-Istitut għax-Xjenzi Spazjali u l-Astronomija

(1)The title of these bye-laws is the Bye-Laws for the degree of Master of Science - M.Sc. - under the auspices of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy.

(2)Citation and interpretation. Substituted by: L.N. 252 of 2015. In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires - "the Board" means the Board of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy; "the course" means the programme of study leading to the degree of Master of Science - M.Sc.; "the Degree" means the degree of Master of Science - M.Sc.; and "the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards. S.L. 327.328 2. These bye-laws shall be commencing in October 2015 or later. Applicability. Amended by: L.N. 252 of 2015. applicable for courses 3. 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. 4. The course shall be open to applicants in possession of one of the following qualifications: Requirements for admission. Amended by: L.N. 252 of 2015. (

1. a)the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physics or Computational Physics or Statistics, with at least Second Class (Honours); or (
2. b)the degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), with at least Second Class (Honours); or (
3. c)the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in ICT, with at least Second Class (Honours); or (
4. d)a Bachelor degree with at least a Second Class (Honours) in a discipline related to the proposed area of study; or (
5. e)a qualification deemed by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board, to be comparable to the qualifications listed in paragraphs (
6. a)to (d). 5. The course shall extend over three semesters of full-time studies or the equivalent in part-time studies. Course duration. 2 [ S.L.327.498 Programme of study. Amended by: L.N. 252 of 2015. DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.Sc. UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE INSTITUTE OF SPACE SCIENCES AND ASTRONOMY 6.

(1)The programme of study shall comprise study-units to which a total of 90 ECTS credits are assigned, of which not more than 30 ECTS credits are assigned to taught study-units and not less than 60 ECTS credits are assigned to the dissertation study-unit.

(2)The programme of study shall be published after approval by Senate. Assessment and progress. 7.

(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 10 ECTS credits for taught study-units, whether following the course on a full-time or part-time basis, shall be given the opportunity to re-sit the failed assessments during the September supplementary examination session.

(3)Students who fail more than the number of study-units permitted under paragraph

(2)of this bye-law, or students who after re-assessment fail to obtain credit for any study-unit shall be required to withdraw from the course. Dissertation. Substituted by: L.N. 252 of 2015. 8.

(1)Students following a programme which includes the writing of a dissertation to which 80 ECTS credits are assigned shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of between 40,000 to 45,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board.

(2)The provisional title of the dissertation and a detailed research proposal shall be submitted to the Board for approval at the time of application.

(3)Students following a programme which includes the writing of a dissertation to which 60 ECTS credits are assigned shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of not less than 35,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board.

(4)The provisional title of the dissertation and a research proposal shall be submitted to the Board for approval at the end of the first semester.

(5)In both cases, 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. Panel of Supervision. 9.

(1)The Board shall appoint a Panel of Supervision for each student, normally composed of three members as follows: the Director of the Institute, or his/her delegate as Chairman, and two other members, one of whom being the principal supervisor, provided that when the Director of the Institute is the supervisor, s/ he shall not chair the panel.

(2)The Panel of Supervision shall follow, as it deems fit, the progress of students throughout the course, provided that it meets at DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.Sc. UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE INSTITUTE OF SPACE SCIENCES AND ASTRONOMY [ S.L.327.498 3 least twice a year to review such progress.

(3)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.

(4)At the end of each semester of studies supervisors shall be required to submit to the Panels of Supervision reports for the students under their supervision, whether the student is following the course on a full-time or a part-time basis. Students shall seek approval from said Panel for any substantial modification in the title or content of the dissertation.

(5)The Panels of Supervision shall periodically inform the Board, in writing, on the general performance of each student. 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)this 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. 10. The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the classification of the Degree shall be based on the results obtained in all the components of the programme of study, all credits being weighted equally. Classification of the Award. 11. 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 relevant Board as necessary due to the part-time nature of the course. Special provisions for part-time courses.