University of Malta Faculty of Laws

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Overview of the university

Lying at the cross-roads of the Mediterranean, L-Università ta' Malta (UM) has been, over its 400-year history, the hub for international academic exchange on the Island. UM is the leading higher education institution in Malta and its structures are in line with the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area.

The Faculty of Laws

The Faculty of Laws is one of the oldest Faculties of UM. It is a leading provider of legal education in Malta. The Faculty of Laws is renowned for its practical and professionally relevant approach to learning and teaching across a range of taught courses ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate, professional and research degrees. Within the Maltese legal system it performs an indispensable function, being the only institution in Malta authorised to award degrees that are required in order to qualify as an Advocate, Notary Public or Legal Procurator. It is divided of nine departments:

The Department of European and Comparative Law

The Department of European and Comparative Law has a fine and long tradition of teaching and research into all areas of European Union Law. The Department runs a full range of courses in European Law at postgraduate level. Its LL.M. programme (the Master of Laws in European and Comparative Law and the Master of Laws in European Business Law) are respected academic qualifications recognised throughout the world that have trained judges, practising lawyers and civil servants in Europe and beyond. All teaching is conducted in the English language making the course units suitable for foreign students and attracting a growing number of ERASMUS students every year.

Department of Commercial Law

The main objective of the Department of Commercial Law is to introduce students in a comprehensive and systematic format to the law regulating modern day business activities, these being extremely varied and dynamic extending from retail and wholesale trade and intellectual property rights to shipping, company administration and financial services. The Department seeks to provide the most updated position of how business is regulated in its various sectors including recent important reforms in relatively new areas, such as in competition and consumer law.

The Department offers the MA in Financial Services. This Masters programme aims to provide the student with opportunity to thoroughly and comprehensively examine the evolving legal framework which greatly influences the way financial services are carried out and how these services are regulated in Malta and overseas. While it is offered by the Faculty of Laws, it benefits from the close collaboration and academic input of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy and is, as a result, better placed to deliver a mixed skill programme not exclusively restricted to law subjects. While the focus is on the provisions, mechanisms and remedies that arise from Maltese law, a broader and comparative approach is included wherever possible. Special focus lies on the impact of European Union law particularly through the various directives and regulations that have been adopted over the years, which affect almost every area of financial services, such as the BRRD, CRR, CRD and MIFID.

Department of Public Law

This department focuses on a number of subjects which include Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Human Rights Law, Fiscal Law, Tourism Law and Private International Law. It even offers a Master of Arts in Human Rights Law and Practice which is aimed at people seeking to acquire knowledge of human rights concepts, treaties, conventions and applicable laws, knowledge on systems of protection of human rights, and knowledge of procedures for redress and other methods of promoting human rights. This course has run for more than twenty years and has trained numerous students who went on to enjoy illustrious careers in the field.

Department of Environmental & Resources Law

This Department focuses focus on the lecturing, tutoring and research in law relating to the sustainable development and sustainable resource management, development planning law, climate change law, food safety law, energy law, fisheries law and heritage law and aspects of policy making related thereto.

Apart from lecturing at undergraduate level, it also offers a Master of Arts in Ocean Governance. This is offered in collaboration with the International Ocean Institute and is unique in its approach, aiming to forge a knowledge base that is essentially legal but which also delves into the natural and social sciences to determine how an effective regulatory framework should operate. The Master in Ocean Governance serves to further enhance the development of learning and research in the field of marine resource management and maritime security from a multidisciplinary perspective. In this era of globalization and sectoral integration, capacity building in the regulation of ocean governance plays a pivotal role in ensuring safe and healthy oceans for the benefit of humankind and the planet.

Department of Public International Law

The Department of International Law is responsible for the Public International Law module in the LL.B. course which unit is designed to introduce the student to the main principles of international law. Its members are particularly strong in research and publications, and are often invited to lecture in overseas universities.

It also coordinates the Master of Laws (LL.M) in International Law, a postgraduate research degree whereby students are required to select an area of research within Public International Law and are tutored by members of the Department.

Department of Criminal Law

The Department of Criminal Law seeks to prepare students for the study and practice of substantive criminal law and the law of evidence and procedure through the examination of a broad selection of topics which cover the more significant aspects of the subject.

Department of Civil Law

This department provides law students with a thorough grounding in the key areas of civil law, particularly family, property, contract, tort, lease, sale, succession, the law of guarantees and civil procedure. Departmental staff also teach introductory and theory-orientated courses on Philosophy of Law, Roman Law and Legal Anthropology. Among other subjects, staff at the Department teach specialised units dealing with Notarial law and Trusts. The Department has also developed a range of specialised courses focusing on human rights, gender, family and refugee law.

Department of Media, Communications and Technology Law

This Department lectures and researches in Broadcasting Law, Press Law, Media Law, Communications Law, Data Protection Law, Gaming Law, Technology Law, Health Care Law, Mental Health and Capacity Law, Arbitration Law, Mediation Law, and the Maltese Legal System.

The Department also hosts a Medicine and the Law Programme.

Department of Legal History & Legal Research Methods

This Department focuses on the historical evolution of law and the systematic techniques used to find, interpret and apply legal information.

Insofar as concerns legal history, students are taught how to analyse historical legal texts, understand the origins of modern legal principles, and appreciate continuity and change in legal thought. Regarding legal research methods, topics covered include instruction in traditional methods of research, and modern digital techniques. Students are taught how to formulate research questions, develop a research strategy, evaluate the credibility of sources and cite legal materials correctly.

Other courses on offer

The Faculty of Laws offers a number of other courses, including a Master of Arts in Law (by research) and Master of Arts in Ombudsman Law and Governance. A Ph.D. by research is also offered, either on a full time or on a part-time basis.

For the full list of courses on offer click here.

Studying at UM

The language of instruction at UM is English. Applicants who have completed their secondary education overseas must satisfy UM’s English language requirements by presenting a Secure English Language Test (SELT) result.

International students require equivalent qualifications to the Maltese Matriculation Certificate awarded by the MATSEC Board.

Ready to begin your studies at UM? Apply now.