Vision/Mission
Being the only national university on the territory, the University of Malta (UM) shall continue to provide higher education of quality in a wide span and variety of disciplines needed to ensure wellbeing, prosperity and functionality of the country.
Practices that lead to excellence in teaching and learning shall be promoted, including digital education. A Teaching and Learning Support Centre shall be established as the University aims to improve the educational experience at UM of all students, including vocational and employed learners.
The University of Malta shall strive to ensure that students become more involved in governance and all faculties shall be urged to send students on Erasmus exchanges in order to improve their educational experience.
The research scholarship will be promoted and supported especially through facilitation of the effort required to compete for external funds. Doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers will be better integrated in the community of learners and scholars and the setting up of a Doctoral School is being considered. Initiatives intended to advance corporate research and knowledge transfer will be supported.
A University Outreach Forum is being set up to provide a meeting place for discussion between academics and stakeholders from Government departments, industry and civil society.
The physical development of the University campus will continue as planned. With regard to financing, discussions with Government will proceed with a view to developing a funding model to give the institution more autonomy and better sustainability.
The Maltese islands contain a remarkable mixture of the ancient and the modern and influences from many cultures and civilisations. The University of Malta is situated at the heart of the Mediterranean, just 60km south of Sicily. It is the oldest University in the Commonwealth outside of Britain and one of the oldest in the Mediterranean. However, it is looking firmly into the future while blending tradition with innovation.
The islands benefit from an excellent air transport system with direct connections to most important cities and communication hubs in Europe and North Africa and the Gulf. It has, over the years, especially since joining the EU, developed significant industries in the areas of IT, engineering, video-game development as well as the betting industry and boasts one of the very lowest unemployment levels in the EU.
The University of Malta prides itself on using internal talent to develop innovative business opportunities by having a growing UM business incubator which gives support to its own entrepreneurs and those outside campus. Its excellent and long-standing connections with local industries and businesses give the University of Malta a unique place in the economy. Its alumni can be said to sustain Malta’s economy at all levels.
All teaching at the University of Malta is in English. The University has a wide range of faculties, from Engineering to the Arts, from Science to Laws. It is particularly well known for its Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the origins of which go back many centuries. The UM also has many inter disciplinary institutes and centres which cater for areas that depend upon the input of academics from all over the University. These include the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy; the Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking; the Institute of Earth Systems; the Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics; the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation and the Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences among others.
An experienced and enthusiastic academic staff of around1700 teach a multicultural student body of some 12000 undergraduate and graduate students. Around 1000 students hail from overseas and this results in a rich mix of ideas which can only be of benefit to both students and lecturers. Well over 3500 students graduate every year.
The academic body is encouraged to continue their research throughout their careers and the administration provides a project office equipped to help all staff to access European and other funding streams. This is a state university and is therefore financed through the Government budget but the University of Malta is always searching for other sources of financing. For example, it has a Trust that encourages local companies and individuals to contribute to post-doctoral research in every area – from sciences to the Arts.
The University of Malta is governed by Council and Senate, The administrative set up of the University of Malta involves a number of academic and administrative and technical staff members who are appointed or elected to the various governing bodies of the University. The principal officers of the University are the Chancellor, the Pro-Chancellor, the Rector, the Pro-Rectors, the Registrar, the Deans of the Faculties as well as the Finance Officer and the Librarian. The main governing bodies are the Council, the Senate and the Faculty Boards.
As the supreme governing body of the University, the Council is responsible for the general administration of the University. Faculties group together departments concerned with a major area of knowledge, while institutes are of an interdisciplinary nature. The Council is also responsible for appointing new staff members, both local and foreign, to the various academic posts.
The Senate is largely responsible for the academic matters of the University primarily regulating studies, research, documentation and examinations at the University. The Senate also establishes the entry regulations.
The Faculty Board directs the academic tasks of the Faculty. The Board presents plans and proposals to the Senate and the Council. Besides, it determines the studies, teaching and research within the Faculty.
