New Master's degree course to cost Lm1,500 a year

Fees for a number of university courses as high as Lm1,500 per year have been announced in the Government Gazette.

The new Master of Psychology course, which spans over two years, incurs a fee of Lm1,500 per year.

According to the fees list available on the University of Malta website, this is by far the most expensive degree at MA level. It is followed by the Executive Master of Business Administration - spanning over 32 months - which has an annual fee of Lm800.

Fees for other courses at Master's level are between Lm500 and Lm600 per year.

Contacted by The Times, the head of the Education Minister's secretariat, Charlo Bonnici, said the fee for the Master of Psychology course was established by the university but the government would offer a number of scholarships.

Asked why the fee had been announced in the Government Gazette just days before the academic year was due to start, Mr Bonnici said the final decision on the course was taken just a few months ago and announced in Parliament toward the end of the session. In fact, earlier this year Education Minister Louis Galea announced that the course would be held regularly at the local university as from this academic year, adding that since it was a postgraduate course, part of which was to be held in the evening, fees would be charged.

The fee was only announced in Wednesday's Government Gazette.

According to the fees list, the fee for courses at first degree level outside regular hours is Lm100 per year.

Other fees announced this week are Lm300 annually for the Certification as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, Certification as Microsoft Certified Application Developer VB.Net and Certification as Microsoft Certified Database Administrators and Lm250 for the Certification as Microsoft Certified Application Developer C#.Net. These courses are being offered for the first time.

Fees have also been announced for non-Maltese students attending courses both at university and at the Junior College. Fees start at Lm1,200 per year for courses at the Junior College and go up to Lm10,000 for courses leading to a degree of Doctor of Medicine and Surgery. Fees for a number of courses increase every year.

A ministry spokesman said non-Maltese students do not include students coming from other EU countries.

The University Fees Regulations lay down that the fees could be reviewed from time to time even with respect to students who might have already started a course.