Studies and Practice in Mediation – UOM

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY OF LAWS

An Opportunity for Furthering Studies and Practising in Mediation

The Faculty of Laws of the University of Malta will be running as from next October 2017 three courses in Mediation. The Postgraduate Certificate in Mediation spreads over one semester of evening part-time studies; the Postgraduate Diploma in Mediation spreads over one year of evening part-time studies; and the M.A. in Mediation spreads over two years of evening part-time studies. Prospective applicants should apply for the Master’s course and can later decide whether to pursue the Certificate, Diploma or the Master’s course.

The aim behind these three courses is to train various professionals hailing from different disciplines (law, psychology, social work, counseling, planning, management, accountancy, etc.) in the art of mediation. Indeed, these courses on mediation will not only be studying mediation from a purely legal perspective but will equip prospective students with the pertinent inter-personal skills necessary to carry out successful mediation sessions.

In order to make the proper preparations to run such a multidisciplinary course a number of University faculties and departments, in addition to the Faculty of Laws, contribute to their delivery. These include the Department of Psychology within the Faculty of Social Wellbeing, the Department of Social Work and Social Policy within the Faculty of Social Wellbeing as well as the Department of Moral Theology within the Faculty of Theology.

Being primarily all three taught courses, the study-units offered in the Postgraduate Certificate in Mediation (the one semester course) comprise the following study-units: (i) Introduction to Mediation; (ii) Basic Notions of Family Law and Ethical and Professional Issues for Mediators; and (iii) Interpersonal and Helping Skills for Mediation.

For the Postgradute Diploma in Mediation, which builds on the first semester Postgraduate Certificate study-units listed above, the second semester of the course will comprise these subjects: (i) Theory of Conflict Resolution; (ii) Mediation Skills; and (iii) Research Skills.

The Post-Graduate Certificate in Mediation Course will span over 1 semester (October 2017 to January 2018) and the fee will be nine hundred and sixty euro (€960).

The Post-Graduate Diploma in Mediation Course will span over 2 semesters (two academic years; October 2017 to June 2019) and the fee will be nine hundred and sixty euro (€960) per semester.

The MA in Mediation Course will span over 5 semesters (two academic years; October 2017 to September 2019) and the fee will be nine hundred and sixty euro (€960) per semester.

In the second year of the course – the Master’s year – students will follow these study-units: (i) Praticum and supervision; (ii) Family Mediation: Theory and Practice; (iii) Family Systems and Children and Mediation; (iv) Domestic Violence and Marriage Breakdown; (v) Sensitivity training for mediators and (v) a choice between (a) Basic Notions of Civil and Commercial Law; and (b) Restorative Justice. A dissertation has also to be written during this second year.

All three courses are aimed at all those persons who wish to pursue a career as a mediator. Maltese Law provides various opportunities for mediators such as at the Family Court and in civil, criminal and commercial mediation. Mediators can also be appointed in terms of employment legislation. Mediation can be carried out both on a part-time and full-time basis.

The Malta Mediation Centre is the relevant institution in this respect which recognises all the three Faculty of Laws mediation courses and students who are in possession of the Postgraduate Certificate in Mediation, the Postgraduate Diploma in Mediation and the Master of Arts degree in Mediation are automatically accredited with the Malta Mediation Centre.

In so far as the requirements for entry into these three courses are concerned, applicants must be in possession of:

(a) a Bachelor’s degree with at least Second Class Honours or a higher degree in any of the following areas: Counselling, Criminology, ICT, Law, Management, Planning and Environment, Psychology, Social Policy, Social Work, Social Studies, Sociology or Youth and Community Studies; or

(b) a Bachelor’s degree with at least Second Class Honours or a higher degree from the University of Malta or from another university in an area which is deemed comparable or relevant by the Board of Studies.

Through this course the University of Malta contributes to Maltese society by providing well-trained, skilled, professional and competent persons who can offer mediation services in the interests of the better administration of justice in Malta.

Registration for this course is already open. Online registration can be effected at: http://www.um.edu.mt/laws/overview/PMAMDNPET2-2017-8-O. Further information on the three courses is also available in this link.

Professor Kevin Aquilina
Course Coordinator
Faculty of Laws
University of Malta