MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.SC. - DEGREE COURSE [ S.L.327.174 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.174
MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.SC. - DEGREE COURSE 
REGULATIONS
3rd September, 1999
LEGAL NOTICE 151 of 1999.
Citation and 
interpretation.
1. (1) The title of these regulations is the Master of Science -
M.Sc. - Degree Course Regulations.
(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:
"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Science;
"the course" means the course of studies leading to the Degree of
Master of Science - M.Sc.;
"the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Science - M.Sc.; and
"the Faculty" means the Faculty of Science.
Applicability.
1999 or later.
Eligibility for the 
Degree.
3. To be eligible for the award of the Degree, students must:
( a ) be registered as regular students in terms of the
Admission Regulations of the University and satisfy
the qualifications for admission laid down in
regulation 4;
( b ) complete the appropriate course of studies, obtain all
the required credits, be approved in the dissertation (if
applicable) and satisfy any other requirements
prescribed in these regulations; and
( c ) satisfy any other requirements prescribed in any other
relevant statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the
University.
Qualifications for 
admission.
4. (1) The course shall be open to applicants in possession of
the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) of the University of
Malta, normally obtained with Second Class (Honours) or better, or
another degree the studies for which the Board considers
comparable to those for the Bachelor of Science (Honours).
(2) Applicants in possession of the Bachelor of Science
ordinary degree of the University of Malta, with Category II or
better, or are in possession of a comparable or a related degree,
may only be allowed to register subsequent to the successful
completion of a Preparatory Course as stipulated by the Board on
the advice of the Department/s concerned, provided that the
Preparatory Course consists of not less than six credits in a relevant
area of study.
Course of studies.
Faculty can offer expert guidance and supervision and subject to
the availability of resources as determined by the Department/s
offering the area of study. The areas of study shall be indicated by
2 [ S.L.327.174 MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.SC. - DEGREE COURSE
the Board before the commencement of the course.
Registration for the 
course.
6. Applicants wishing to register for the course shall apply on
the prescribed form and within the time specified by the Office of
the Registrar. Applicants opting for the Dissertation mode of study
or the Coursework and Dissertation mode of study must include a
provisional title for the dissertation, a 300-word proposal and a
supporting statement by a member of the Faculty who has agreed to
supervise the work.
Course duration. 7. (1) The course shall normally extend over a period of
twelve calendar months of full-time study or the equivalent in part-
time study.
(2) The Board may allow students to extend their studies by
not more than six months or their equivalent in part-time study.
Course structure. 8. Students must register for a number of study-units
(including the dissertation where applicable) to which a total of at
least 30 credits are assigned in any one of the following modes of
study as determined by the Board, on the advice of the Head of
Department of the area of study concerned:
( a ) Dissertation Mode of Study: consisting of the writing
of a dissertation based on work of an advanced or
original nature performed by students during the
course and the presentation of their findings and
conclusions in a scholarly manner, to which 28 credits
are assigned; a seminar assignment as described in
regulation 9, to which 2 credits shall be assigned.
( b ) Coursework and Dissertation Mode of Study: higher
level study-units, to which between 6 and 10 credits
are assigned; the writing of a dissertation, to which
between 18 and 22 credits shall be assigned to reflect
the research of the students; a seminar assignment as
described in regulation 9, to which 2 credits shall be
assigned.
( c ) Coursework Mode of Study: higher level study-units,
to which not less than 28 credits shall be assigned and
which may include a practicum component; a seminar
assignment as described in regulation 9, to which 2
credits shall be assigned.
Seminar 
assignment.
9. (1) The seminar assignment, to which 2 credits shall be
assigned, shall usually involve a literature review of a topic
selected for the students by the Panel of Supervision.
(2) Students shall make a 40-45 minute oral presentation to an
audience consisting,  inter alia  of members of the Faculty and
students. They shall answer questions posed by the audience and
shall previously have submitted an abstract of about 300 words
describing the contents of the seminar presentation. The seminar
assignment shall be assessed by members of the Panel of
Supervision.
(3) Students who fail the seminar assignment may be allowed
to repeat the presentation, once only, on the recommendation of the
Panel of Supervision. In this case, the maximum grade that may be
MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.SC. - DEGREE COURSE [ S.L.327.174 3
awarded shall be grade D.
Catalogue of 
study-units.
10. The Board shall draw up a programme of studies for the
course and shall publish a catalogue of study-units. The catalogue
shall indicate the code, title, description and type of each study-
unit, the credits assigned to each study-unit, which study-units are
compulsory, concurrent or prerequisites for other study-units, and
the methods of teaching and assessment. The catalogue shall
include also guidelines on the conduct of seminars, the production
of the dissertation and its oral defence. The Board shall publish the
catalogue for the course prior to its commencement, following the
approval of Senate.
Progress and 
assessment.
11. (1) The taught component of the course shall be assessed
through coursework and examinations or through examinations
only; examinations are normally held at the end of the semester in
which the study-units were held.
(2) Credits shall be assigned according to the following grades
in descending order of merit: A, B, C and D. Failure shall be
indicated by F. Incomplete work due to justifiable reasons (illness,
approved absence, etc.) shall be indicated by I. In all other cases
the results of uncompleted study-units shall be indicated as F. The
grades awarded shall take into account the students’ performance in
one or more of the following elements, as deemed appropriate by
the Board of Examiners: coursework, fieldwork, research, and
practical, written and/or oral assessments.
(3) Students who fail in any study-unit pertaining to the taught
component shall be allowed a supplementary assessment. Such a
supplementary assessment should normally have the same mode of
assessment as the corresponding first assessment. A supplementary
assessment of a study-unit shall be held at the next scheduled
examination session (May or September) as the case may be. In the
case of assignments that require re-submission, the supplementary
assessment shall be made by arrangement with the lecturer
concerned. In the supplementary assessment, the maximum grade
that may be awarded shall be grade D.
(4) Students shall not be allowed to be re-assessed for a study-
unit if they have already been awarded credit/s for it.
Supervision.
each student normally composed of three members as follows: the
Head of Department as chairman, and two other members, one of
whom being the research supervisor, where applicable, provided
that when the Head of Department is the supervisor, he shall not
chair the Panel.
(2) The Panel of Supervision shall follow, as it deems fit, the
progress of students through the course, provided that it meets at
least once 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
supervisors deem necessary.
(4) Supervisors shall be required to submit regular reports on
students to the Panel of Supervision. Students shall seek approval
4 [ S.L.327.174 MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.SC. - DEGREE COURSE
from the Panel of Supervision for any substantial modification in
the title or content of the dissertation. The dissertation may not
normally be submitted to a Board of Examiners without the
approval of the supervisor.
(5) The Panel of Supervision may advise the Board, in writing,
on the performance of a student; such advice may recommend
either ( a ) an extension of the study period in order to enable the
student to pass in study-units taken by coursework; or ( b ) an
extension of the study period in order to enable the student to
complete the dissertation; or ( c ) a premature termination of studies
if the Panel deems this to be proper in the circumstances; provided
that the extension of the study period referred to in ( a ) and ( b ) shall
be according to regulation 7(2).
Dissertation. 13. (1) Dissertations presented for the Degree shall:
( a ) be work of an advanced or original nature in the
students’ area of study;
( b ) satisfy the Board of Examiners as regards content and
presentation; and
( c ) fulfil the requirements stipulated in the relevant
guidelines as regards format and length.
(2) No dissertation shall be accepted which is identical in
substance to a document already submitted for a degree in the
University of Malta or any other university or to any other
published material. Students shall, however, not be precluded from
incorporating such previous work as may be necessary to the
presentation and fuller understanding of their exposition, provided
that the nature and extent of such incorporation are clearly
indicated in the dissertation itself.
(3) Students shall present three bound copies of the
dissertation to the department, one of which shall be retained in the
University Library.
Examination of 
study-units, 
seminar and 
dissertation.
14. (1) A Board of Examiners shall be appointed for each
study-unit taken by coursework and by seminar and, where
applicable, for the dissertation, in accordance with the provisions
of the University Examination Regulations. An external examiner
from another institution shall be appointed for study-units taken by
coursework. The Board of Examiners for the seminar assignment
shall be the Panel of Supervision. The Board of Examiners for the
dissertation shall be composed of at least four members and
normally shall include the three members of the Panel of
Supervision together with an external examiner from another
institution.
(2) The Board of Examiners for the dissertation shall require
students to defend the dissertation orally before them. The external
examiner need not be present for the oral defence. The Board shall
ascertain that the quality and substance of the dissertation reflects
the number of credits assigned to it.
Compulsory 
credits.
15. (1) Students shall be required to obtain all the compulsory
credits associated with the coursework, where applicable, and in
any case, not less than a total of 28 credits. Students who fail to
MASTER OF SCIENCE - M.SC. - DEGREE COURSE [ S.L.327.174 5
obtain 28 credits shall be ineligible for the award of the Degree.
(2) Students whose dissertation is found unsatisfactory may
either fail or may be required by the Board of Examiners for the
dissertation to rewrite the document in whole or in part and to re-
submit it for examination. Students may re-submit the dissertation
not earlier than 2 months and not later than 6 months from the
notification of the decision by the Board of Examiners for the
dissertation.
Final results.
taking into account all components of the course which shall be
weighted according to the number of credits assigned to each
component. The Panel shall also establish the Degree classification
and it shall inform the Board accordingly.
(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the
Degree shall be published in a list in alphabetical order and
classified as follows:
Passed with Distinction
Passed.
