MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW - M.A. - DEGREE COURSE ġ S.L.327.209 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.209
MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW - M.A. - DEGREE 
COURSE REGULATIONS
6th November, 2001
LEGAL NOTICE 278 of 2001.
Citation and 
interpretation.
1. (1) The title of these regulations is the Master of Arts in
Law - M.A. - Degree Course Regulations.
(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires -
"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Laws;
"the course" means the course of studies leading to the Degree of
Master of Arts in Law - M.A.; and
"the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Arts in Law - M.A.
Applicability.
2001 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 qualification requirements for admission to the
course stipulated in regulation 4;
( b ) complete the course of studies, obtain all the credits
indicated in regulation 8 and comply with any other
requirements as prescribed in these regulations; and
( c ) comply with any other requirements prescribed in any
other relevant statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the
University.
Qualifications for 
admission.
4. (1) Applicants for admission to the course shall be in
possession of one of the following qualifications:
( a ) the degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D.); or
( b ) a Bachelor’s degree in law, including the Bachelor of
Arts in Legal and Humanistic Studies, with at least
Category II; or
( c ) a Bachelor’s degree with at least Second Class
Honours in an area of study related to law or to the
programme of study applied for by the applicants; or
( d ) equivalent qualifications from the University of Malta
or another university recognised by Senate for the
purpose.
(2) The admission of applicants who have not studied Law at
undergraduate level may be made conditional on the results of an
interview. The Board may impose additional requirements,
including the requirement to follow a preparatory programme of
studies and passing a qualifying examination, prior to registration
for the course.
2 ġ S.L.327.209 MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW - M.A. - DEGREE COURSE
Registration for the 
course.
5. (1) Applicants wishing to register for the course shall
apply on the prescribed form and within the time specified by the
Office of the Registrar.
(2) On admission to the taught and research course, students
shall be required to register for the appropriate number of study-
units, as indicated in regulation 8( a ).
Course duration. 6. The course shall extend over a period of twelve months of
full-time study or its equivalent in part-time study. The Board may
extend the period of studies by not more than six months or its
equivalent in the case of part-time studies.
Students on a part-
time basis.
7. Students pursuing the course on a part-time basis shall be
required to register at the beginning of each academic year.
Course of studies. 8. The course shall be offered in areas of study in law and
related subjects, as determined by the Board prior to the
commencement of the academic year. The course may be offered in
one or both of the following modes of study, subject to the
availability of resources and the number of applicants who opt for
the taught and research mode of study:
( a ) Research Mode of Study: consisting of the writing of a
dissertation as stipulated in regulation 11, to which 30
credits are assigned; or
( b ) Taught and Research Mode of Study: a number of
study-units, to which 15 credits are assigned; and the
writing of a dissertation, to which 15 credits are
assigned.
Catalogue of 
study-units.
9. In the case of the taught and research mode of study, the
Board shall draw up a catalogue of study-units. The catalogue shall
indicate the code, title, and description of each study-unit, the
credits assigned to each study-unit, and the methods of teaching
and assessment. The Board shall publish the catalogue prior to the
commencement of each course, following the approval of Senate.
Assessment and 
progress in taught 
and research mode 
of study.
10. (1) 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.
(2) The grades for the study-units shall take into account the
students’ performance in the coursework and in the written
examinations, which shall be held either on completion of a study-
unit or-at the end of the second semester. For the purpose of the
award of an overall grade for a study-unit, coursework shall be
weighted at 25% whilst the written examination shall be weighted
at 75%.
(3) Students who fail in the written examination of one or
more study-units shall be allowed to resit that examination once
only at the next scheduled examination session. In such cases, the
maximum grade that may be awarded is grade D.
(4) Students who do not obtain a minimum of nine credits at
the first sitting shall be considered to have definitively failed.
Students who fail any resit shall be considered to have definitively
MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW - M.A. - DEGREE COURSE ġ S.L.327.209 3
failed, unless the Board, in exceptional circumstances, decides to
review the case.
Dissertation.
( a ) Research Mode of Study: not more than 50,000 words
in length; and
( b ) Taught and Research Mode of Study: not more than
25,000 words in length.
The subject shall be proposed by the students and approved
by the Board. The dissertation should provide evidence of
independent research and constitute an original contribution to the
subject.
(2) Students shall present a written proposal for a dissertation
topic not later than three months from the beginning of the
academic year in which they shall be completing the course.
(3) On approval of the dissertation proposal, students shall be
assigned a supervisor who shall be appointed by the Board.
(4) The dissertation shall be submitted by not later than the
second week of September. The Board may, in its discretion, grant
students an extension of the submission date of up to three months.
(5) The dissertation shall be examined by a Board of
Examiners appointed by Senate, on the recommendation of the
Board.
(6) Students shall submit eight copies of the dissertation and
declare in writing that the dissertation is their own work and
conforms to the requirements indicated in subregulation (1).
(7) The Board of Examiners shall be convened by its Chairman
to discuss the dissertation. Students may also be required to take a
viva voce  examination in defence of their dissertation.
(8) The Board of Examiners may approve the dissertation. It
may require the students to make corrections or to completely re-
write the dissertation within a stated time limit or it may reject the
dissertation altogether.
(9) Students whose dissertation is rejected or whose
corrections or re-writing are considered inadequate or who have not
submitted their dissertation within the required time limit shall not
be awarded the Degree.
Classification and 
award of the 
Degree.
12. (1) The final grade of each student shall take into account
the grade obtained in the dissertation or in all study-units and the
dissertation, as the case may be, which shall be weighted according
to the number of credits assigned to each.
(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the
Degree shall be published in a list in alphabetical order classified
as follows:
Passed with Distinction
Passed.
Joint Degrees.
enters into an agreement with a foreign university for the granting
4 ġ S.L.327.209 MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW - M.A. - DEGREE COURSE
of the Degree jointly, then the credits necessary to qualify for the
Degree may be taken partly at the University and partly at the
foreign university as provided for in such agreement.
(2) The Board of Examiners and the Degree Classification
Board shall, in those cases referred to in subregulation (1), be
constituted in terms of decisions taken by the appropriate
governing bodies of both institutions.
(3) In the instances governed by this regulation the Degree
shall be awarded jointly on one certificate by both universities and
shall be conferred at either university as agreed between them.
