University of Malta

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University of Malta
L-Università ta' Malta


Motto:	Ut Fructificemus Deo (Latin for "We should bring forth fruit unto God")
Established	1591
Type:	State owned
Rector:	Prof. Juanito Camilleri
Faculty:	600
Students:	ca 9,000
Location	Msida, Malta
Athletics:	Malta University Sports Club
Website:	University of Malta Official Site

The University of Malta (Maltese L-Università ta' Malta) is the highest educational institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, which last between three and five years, and postgraduate Master's Degrees that last two years full-time. The university also offers postgraduate Doctorates (PhD), but these are somewhat unpopular, with students usually turning to foreign universities when undertaking doctorate-level studies. The rector of the university is currently Professor Juanito Camilleri.

1 Entry
2 Faculties
3 Courses
4 Fees
5 History
6 Notable graduates
7 See also
8 External links

Entry

Admission to the university is based on Matriculation examination results, however entry on basis of maturity is granted for certain courses. The University is known to have the strictest grade requirements in the European continent, and entry into some courses is limited, for example The Faculty of Dental Surgery allows for a maximum of 6 European students per year chosen according to merit and only after the students have successfully passed an admissions interview. Over the years, the university has been criticised both for its antiquated admission policies, which are most oftenly based solely on test grades and take nothing else into consideration; its didactic approach to education; and its attitude to teaching/learning in general. In the past it has also been criticised for discontinuing/not offering courses when it is forecasted not enough students will enroll to make hosting the course financially rewarding, though this has not happened very often of late. A famous chapter in the university's history in the 1970's saw the then recently-elected Dom Mintoff halt an ongoing medical course in its track and cancel the first and second year students' university enrollment. The students were not financially compensated, their years of hard work at the university went unrecognised, and they were not offered advanced placement into another course. This has now changed, since tertiary education is free for all Maltese and Gozitan students (they actually receive a stipend).

Faculties

These are the 10 faculties into which the university is divided:

Faculty of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Dental Surgery (Medical School)
Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Information & Communication Technology
Faculty of Laws
Faculty of Medicine & Surgery
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Theology

Courses

The following are some courses offered by the University of Malta. Please note that this section is currently under construction. Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Bachelor of Arts in Criminology (Honours) Bachelor of Arts in Tourism Studies (Honours) Bachelor of Arts in Social Work/Social Policy (Honours) Bachelor of Commerce/ Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)

Fees

Undergraduate courses are free-of-charge to citizens of Malta and the European Union, however, comparably hefty fees are charged to European nationals from other countries as well as Africans, Asians and non-EU European states. In spite of this, the university has a healthy percentage of foreign students (non-EU) the majority of which are from Asia, mainly, China. Recently, the university has also begun to attract students from Eastern Europe. Students enrolled in higher education in Malta are entitled to a stipend, though whether or not this shall continue to be the case remains to be seen. The endowment of this stipend has been halted previously, and it has never been conferred to foreign nationals.

History

The University is one of the oldest in Europe and was originally a Catholic university. Its origins dates back to 1592 when the Collegium Melitense was founded by the Bishop Garagallo and originally run by the Jesuits. After the Jesuits were expelled from the Maltese Islands in 1768 the assets of the Collegium Melitense were taken over and the University founded by Grandmaster Manuel Pinto da Fonseca in 1769. After Napoleon conquered the island in the 1798, the university was briefly abolished and transformed into a French educational institution. However, after the French were forced to leave in 1800, the islands became a British protectorate and the University was reestablished by Sir Alexander Ball. In 1938, King George VI gave it the title of The Royal University of Malta. The word "Royal" was subsequently removed from the name of the university, when Malta became a republic in 1974.