Thursday, May 31, 2007, by Martin Debattista
The Faculty of ICT at university is born
The new faculty of ICT at university will bring together different areas of computing, such as computer
engineering and artificial intelligence.
The University of Malta has a new Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The university senate and council gave their formal approval a few days ago. This still has to be enacted through a legal
notice but to all intents and purposes the new faculty now exists and students will be able to read the new degree
programmes as from the next academic year.
"Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has developed significantly in the past decade. Today the marriage of
computing, communication and content has not only changed work patterns in every sector of socio-economic development,
it has also gained ground as a discipline in its own right, stimulating a global industry which is also seeing substantial growth
in Malta," Rector Juanito Camilleri told i-Tech.
"The emerging discipline of ICT is as much concerned with the vast array of up-and-coming digital technologies as it is with
their application in modern day organisations. It has intrinsically evolved from systems science and is the manifestation of
the impact modern day information technologies have had on organisational behaviour and information management."
The new faculty will consist of five departments, namely the computer information systems, computer science, artificial
intelligence, computer and communications engineering, and microelectronics and nanoelectronics departments.
"By bringing these departments together, the university has created a milieu which allows a more integrated approach to ICT
as a discipline in its own right," Prof. Camilleri explained.
"Apart from the development of an increased range of degree programmes in ICT per se, and the blending of ICT with a
broader range of other disciplines, the new Faculty of ICT - particularly if it is backed with the appropriate investment and
facilities - can scale up the number of ICT graduates being produced and will stimulate the appropriate environment for
increased research in the field."
Asked whether the launch of the SmartCity project spurred the creation of the new faculty, the Rector replied: "It is evident
that the demand for ICT graduates will continue to grow, particularly with the advent of SmartCity. This said, the faculty
would also continue to sustain the growth of organisations such as ST Microelectronics and the current local ICT services
industry. Of course, our degree programmes will continue to evolve in accordance to the needs of industry."
The creation of a faculty for ICT was mentioned around 10 years ago but the idea never took off or got the necessary
backing. So why did it take so long?
"Well, that's a long story!" Prof. Camilleri briskly replied.
"The important thing now is that the faculties of ICT, science, and engineering attract the right level of funding to ensure that
our manufacturing, as well as services industries, continue to flourish. ICT is only one of the sectors that require more
investment and attention. We hope that the setting up of a faculty of ICT will be an additional reason for the government and
the private sector to invest in the science and technology infrastructure at the university."
The new degree programmes will be launched as from October 2007, giving students a broader range of options at both
undergraduate and postgraduate levels. An evening degree programme, which will allow students and working professionals
to obtain diplomas and part-time Bachelor degrees, will also be offered.
Moreover, the university will step up its effort for the conversion Masters in IT programmes, which is targeted at graduates
of other disciplines who wish to enter the world of ICT.
"Of course, this does not mean that the university is not going to continue supporting the current degree programmes in
business, science and electrical engineering, which have a strong component in aspects of ICT. In fact, further developments,
this time in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science, are expected shortly," the university rector reassured.
Work is also underway on the launch of other creative joint programmes with other disciplines such as, for example,
artificial intelligence and linguistics, and computer science and entrepreneurship.
As reported by i-Tech a few weeks ago, the university intends to apply for EU structural funds to upgrade all laboratories,
including the engineering, chemistry and biology labs, with a proposal worth 10 million.
In the meantime, the University of Malta has submitted plans to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for the
construction of a state-of-the-art building at Tal-Qroqq to house the ICT departments.
"We hope that the processing of this application and the funding of it are also placed on the 'fast track'. This is because the
university does not have the facilities at present to cater for the projected growth of student numbers in ICT, and the faculties
of engineering and science are in dire need of the space currently occupied by the ICT departments," he said.