MASTER OF ARTS - M.A. - 
IN EUROPEAN STUDIES DEGREE COURSE g S.L.327.114 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.114
MASTER OF ARTS - M.A. - IN EUROPEAN 
STUDIES DEGREE COURSE REGULATIONS
13th February, 1998
LEGAL NOTICE 54 of 1998, as amended by Legal Notice 145 of 2001.
Citation and 
interpretation.
1. (1) The title of these regulations is the Master of Arts -
M.A. - in European Studies Degree Course Regulations.
(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -
"the Board" means the Board of the European Documentation
and Research Centre;
"the course" means the course leading to the Degree; and
"the Degree" means the degree of Master of Arts - M.A. - in
European Studies.
Applicability.
Amended by:
L.N. 145 of 2001.
2. These regulations shall be applicable to courses starting in
October 2001 or later.
Eligibility for the 
Degree.
3. To be eligible for the Degree a student must:
( a ) be registered as a regular student in terms of the
Admission Regulations of the University;
( b ) satisfy any qualification requirements for admission to
the course;
( c ) complete the course of studies, qualify in the
examinations and comply with any other requirements
prescribed in these regulation; and
( d ) comply with any other requirements prescribed in any
other relevant statutes and regulations of the
University.
Qualifications for 
admission.
4. Candidates for admission to the course shall be in
possession of one of the following qualifications:
( a ) the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree obtained with
not less than Second Class Honours (Upper Division)
in European Studies or in any other area of studies
deemed acceptable by the Board; or
( b ) equivalent qualifications from the University of Malta
or another university recognized by the Senate for the
purpose,
provided that candidates in possession of a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Legal and Humanistic Studies with not less than Category IIA
and candidates in possession of an Honours degree with Second
Class (Lower Division) may also be admitted but in these cases
only after an interview, and if the Board is satisfied that the
candidates are able to follow the course successfully. In such cases,
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IN EUROPEAN STUDIES DEGREE COURSE
the Board may require that candidates follow a preparatory
programme of studies and pass a qualifying examination prior to
registration for the course or to satisfy additional conditions during
the course.
Course duration. 5. The course shall extend over twelve months of full-time
study. Students, however, may choose, with the permission of the
Board, to study for the Degree on a part-time basis, in which case
the course shall extend over twenty-four months of part-time study.
Course of studies.
Amended by:
L.N. 145 of 2001.
6. (1) The course shall be offered in European Studies in the
areas of Politics, Economics and Law as determined by the Board.
(2) In order to complete the course, students must obtain not
less than 30 credits as follows: 20 credits for study-units,
comprising 8 credits in one area of study and 6 credits in each of
the other two areas of study. Students must also submit a
dissertation to which 10 credits are assigned, and which shall be
either in one of the areas of study chosen or of an interdisciplinary
character involving two or more of these areas of study.
(3) A catalogue of study-units for each area of study and of the
credits assigned to each study-unit shall be published before the
commencement of the course.
(4) The Law study-units shall be determined by the Board
from the list of the study-units offered in the Magister Juris course
of the Faculty of Laws (in European and Comparative Law) and
shall be published in the catalogue of study-units before the
commencement of the course.
(5) On admission to the course students shall be required to
choose the areas of study they intend to follow from the areas of
study indicated in subregulation (1) and to register for the
appropriate number of study-units in the areas of study chosen, as
shall be indicated in the catalogue of study-units published as
required in subregulation (3).
Assessments and 
examinations.
Amended by:
L.N. 145 of 2001.
7. (1) Each study-unit shall be assessed through coursework
and by examination which shall be held at the end of the relevant
academic year. Students shall be required to pass in the coursework
and in the examination.
(2) Credits for each study-unit shall be assigned according to
the following grades in descending order of merit: A, B, C and D. F
indicates Fail and I indicates Incomplete. 
(3) A student who fails in one or more examinations or in the
coursework shall be allowed to re-sit the examination or re-submit
the coursework for the study-unit/s failed only once. In such cases
the maximum grade that can be awarded shall be grade D. A
student who fails to obtain a minimum of 12 credits in the first
session shall be considered to have failed and shall not be allowed
to proceed with the course.
(4) The final mark for each study-unit shall be weighted as
follows: 40% for the coursework and 60% for the examination.
Dissertation. 8. (1) The dissertation shall be a compulsory element of the
course.
MASTER OF ARTS - M.A. - 
IN EUROPEAN STUDIES DEGREE COURSE g S.L.327.114 3
(2) The dissertation shall be of between 25,000 and 30,000
words in length on a subject proposed by the student and approved
by the Board. It shall provide evidence of independent research and
constitute an original contribution to the subject.
(3) The student shall present a written proposal for a
dissertation topic not later than six months from the beginning of
the Course. Part-time students shall present their proposals not later
than six months from the beginning of the second year of the
course.
(4) On approval of the dissertation proposal the student shall
be assigned a supervisor who shall be appointed by the Board.
(5) A student shall submit his dissertation not later than three
months after taking the examinations referred to in regulation 7.
Part-time students shall submit their dissertation not later than
three months after the examinations in the second year of the
course.
(6) The Board may, at its discretion, grant a student an
extension of the submission date referred to in subregulation (5) up
to a period of three months.
(7) The dissertation shall be examined by a Board of
Examiners appointed by the Senate on the recommendation of the
Board.
(8) The student shall submit four copies of the dissertation and
declare in writing that the dissertation is his own work and
conforms to subregulation (2).
(9) The Board of Examiners shall be convened by its Chairman
to discuss the dissertation. A student may also be required to take a
viva voce  examination to defend his dissertation.
(10) The Board of Examiners may approve the dissertation. It
may require the student to make amendments or to completely
rewrite the dissertation within a stated time limit or may reject the
dissertation altogether.
(11) A student whose dissertation is rejected or whose
amendments or rewriting are considered inadequate or who has not
submitted his dissertation within the required time limit shall not
be awarded the Degree.
(12) A student who has to make amendments to the dissertation
in accordance with subregulation (10) must, after completion of the
dissertation as instructed, re-submit four copies in hard bound
cover to the Board of Examiners within eight weeks from being
notified of the changes to be made.
(13) Successful students shall be required to submit four copies
of the dissertation in hard bound cover to the European
Documentation and Research Centre.
Classification and 
award of the 
Degree.
Amended by:
L.N. 145 of 2001.
9. (1) The final result shall take into account the students’
performance in the study-units and the dissertation, whch shall be
weighted according to the number of credits assigned to each, as
indicated in regulation 6(2).
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IN EUROPEAN STUDIES DEGREE COURSE
(2) The names of successful students shall be published in
alphabetical order classified as follows:
Pass with Distinction
Pass.
