University of Malta

The University of Malta (Maltese L-Università ta' Malta) is the highest teaching institution in the Republic of Malta. It offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, which last three or four years, or five if taken with Honours, 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.

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 course is limited.

Over the years, the university has been criticised both for its antiquated admission policies, which are based solely on test grades and take nothing else into consideration, its didactic approach to education, and its attitude to teaching/learning in general. It has also been criticised for discontinuing/not offering courses when it is forecasted not enough students will enrol to make hosting the course financially rewarding, though this has not happened very often of late. A famous chapter in the university's history 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.

Faculties

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

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 Laws
Faculty of Medicine & Surgery
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Theology

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, namely, China. Recently, the university has also began 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. Its origins dates back to 1592 when the Collegium Melitense was founded by the Bishop Garagallo. Originally the University was run by the Jesuits. After the Jesuits were expelled from the Maltese Islands in 1768, the University was taken over by the state. After Napoleon conquered the island in the 1798, the university was briefly abolished in favour of a French educational institutions. 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.

Notable graduates

Dr. George Borg Olivier - first Prime Minister of Malta

Dr. Edward de Bono - Psychologist and physician, founder of lateral thinking

Dr. Edward Fenech-Adami - President of Malta, attorney-at-law and former Prime Minister

Dr. Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici - attorney-at-law and former Prime Minister of Malta

Dr. Guido de Marco - former President of Malta, former Malta Nationalist Party politician, former Deputy Prime Minister and former President of the United Nations General Assembly

Dr. Alfred Sant - Malta Labour Party leader and former Prime Minister

Dr. Lawrence Gonzi - Malta Nationalist Party leader and incumbent Prime Minister

Mario Azzopardi - film director

External links

University of Malta Website