Legal Notice 183 of 2005 – Malta Government Gazette No. 17,778 – 10 June 2005
Amended by:
Legal Notice 45 of 2013 – Malta Government Gazette No. 19,023 – 29 January 2013
EDUCATION ACT
(CAP. 327)
Bye-Laws of 2005 in terms of the
General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004
for the Diploma in Public Administration - D.P.A. under the auspices of the Institute of Public Administration and Management
IN exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 30(5) and 31(6)
of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has
promulgated the following bye-laws made by the Board of the Institute of Public
Administration and Management in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by
section 37 (1) of the said Act and which have been approved by the Senate of the
University of Malta as required by section 37 (2) of the said Act:
Citation and Interpretation
1. (1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws of 2005 in terms of the
General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2004 for the Diploma in
Public Administration - D.P.A. - under the auspices of the Institute of Public
Administration and Management.
(2) In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires “the Board” means the Board of the Institute of Public Administration and
Management;
“the Board of Studies” means the Board of Studies appointed by Senate for the
Course;
“the Course” means the programme of studies leading to the Diploma in Public
Administration - D.P.A.; and
“the Diploma” means the Diploma in Public Administration - D.P.A.
Applicability
2. These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October 2003
or later.
Areas of Study
3. (1) The Diploma may be awarded in any one of the following areas of study:
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Comparative Public Administration
Local Administration.
(2) The area/s of study offered shall be published by the Board before the
commencement of each Course.
Requirements for Admission
4. (1) Admission to the Course may, with the approval of Senate, be restricted to
applicants who are eligible for admission as regular students in terms of the Admission
Regulations of the University and are nominated by an organisation that commissions
the Course.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this bye-law, the Board
may recommend to Senate the number of students that may be admitted to the Course,
depending on the resources available. If any such recommendation is made and
approved, the number of available places shall be announced at the time of the call for
applications.
(3) If there are more eligible applicants than the number of places available,
applicants shall be selected after an interview or a written test, or both interview and
written test, conducted by the Board of Studies, which shall make its recommendations
taking the following criteria and weightings into consideration:
(a) academic qualifications – 30%;
(b) command of English and Maltese, both spoken and written – 50%; and
(c) experience of, and interest in, public administration -20%.”
(4) For the purpose of selection, applicants who fully satisfy the general entry
requirements by 31st August preceding the commencement of the Course shall placed in
rank order and those for whom places are available will be accepted and informed
accordingly.
Course Duration
5. The Course shall extend over two years of part-time study.
Course Programme
6. The programme of study shall consist of:
(a) a number of taught study-units to which 48 credits shall be assigned; and
(b) a study-unit comprising an individual project to which 12 credits shall be
assigned.
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Project Study-Unit
7. (1) Students shall be required to research an issue in public administration
approved by the Board of Studies, and to write a report on their research.
(2) The Board shall appoint a supervisor for each student.
(3) Project reports shall be presented in accordance with the guidelines
approved by the Board of Studies.
(4) Project reports shall be submitted for examination before the beginning of
the normal session of examinations following the last semester of the Course, provided
that the Board of Studies may, on the recommendation of a supervisor, extend the
submission date for a student by not more than two months if, following a written
request, the Board considers that there are valid reasons beyond the student's control to
justify the extension.
(5) Project reports that are not submitted by the date set by the Board of
Studies in terms of paragraph (4) of this bye-law shall be graded “F” with 0 marks.
(6) The Board of Studies may, at its discretion, require students to appear for
an oral examination on the project before publishing the final mark and grade.
(7) Students whose project report is graded “F” may be allowed to resubmit it
once for a supplementary assessment, within a period of six months.
Classification of the Award
8. (1) For the purpose of the classification of the Diploma, the overall evaluation
of each student’s performance in the Course shall be based on the results obtained in all
the study-units with all credits awarded being weighted equally.
(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the Diploma shall be
published in a list in alphabetical order classified as follows:
Pass with Distinction
Pass.
For courses commencing in October 2012 or later:
(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the Diploma shall be
published in a list in alphabetical order classified as follows:
Pass with Distinction
Pass with Merit
Pass.
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