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Advertisers MFSC - Malta Financial Services Centre Maltese-American Chamber of Commerce METCO - Malta External Trade Corporation Ltd.
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Education is the key to the future
The university is a popular choice for international students and has seen its student body become more diversified and international over the last decade. Currently, more than 500 full-time students from more than 70 countries attend the university, while another 100 students, mostly from the United States, attend semester exchange programs. The growth in the number of international students reflects the ever-increasing links with overseas institutions, explains Leslie Aguis, director of the university’s international office.
In the United States, the University of Malta is actively sought after for its exchange programs. The university’s membership in the Council for International Educational Exchange and the International Student Exchange Program help bring students to the island. American students find studying in Malta fun. Through its Foundation for International Studies, the university holds a number of summer schools each year, including its exciting archaeology program where students get to take part in an active dig. The international office also offers a service to other universities who would like to hold their own study abroad programs or summer schools in Malta.
The university is also associated with the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies and is home to the renowned International Maritime Institute. To ensure students are prepared for the future, the university is focusing on several areas, including the further development of information technology, computer science and artificial intelligence, the strengthening of the already well-respected engineering school and improving relations with industry.
Malta’s long history, especially compared to our young nation; the English language; the country’s location and its proximity to Europe and the Middle East; the relatively low cost of living and high standard of living; the leisurely pace compared to American cities and the island’s safety make Malta an attractive choice for a semester or a full term.
The university is working hard to fulfill its goal of producing high-quality professionals who are experienced in research and plan to play key roles in industry, commerce and public affairs.
Although the university is the highest teaching university in Malta, the government realizes a need to set up another type of advanced level education – a vocational school. The Malta College for Applied Arts, Science and Technology will open in October 2000 in Corradino. According to the Ministry for Economic Services, the school will incorporate a number of institutes addressing particular areas of vocational training at the post-secondary level, including information technology, applied sciences, business and commerce, applied arts and community services.
With the growing importance of information technology, the government has begun to examine technology education within the secondary school system. “While it is business that has to accept innovation and the adoption of modern technology as fundamental to commercial success, an effective technology policy necessitates the contribution of the national education system,” says the Ministry of Economic Services. “Indeed, the latter has to be constantly review and re-adjust curricula and teaching methods in light of developments on the IT front.”
Plans are to continue the education process beyond the schools and work with the Science and Technology Education Network “to educate small firms about new products and processes needed to be launched in order to keep local industry abreast of technological advances in the international scene,” concludes the Ministry of Economic Services.
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Table of Contents Building bridges and embracing the future |
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The University of Malta can trace its esteemed history back to 1592 when the Jesuits founded the Collegium Melitense (Malta was known as Melita at the time). In 1578, Pope Gregory XIII empowered the Jesuits to confer the Magister Philosphiae ad Doctor Divinitas degrees. Grand Master Nicolo Cotoner appointed Friar Giuseppe Zammit in 1675 as a lecturer in anatomy and surgery. Zammit created the first medical library on Malta and later a medicinal herbal garden in one of Fort St. Elmo’s ditches. When the Medical College was set up in the 1770s, the tradition began of only staffing the faculty with local lecturers Today, the university has about 8,000 students, plus foreign full-time and part-time students who enjoy attending an historic 400-year-old university with an excellent reputation.
Many universities have regular yearly programs for their students. The South Texas College of Law runs a very successful and well attended four-week program in Malta that offers three modules on international law. For the last four years, Bradley University’s students have studied English writers, international financial management, Mediterranean history and even U.S. foreign policy. James Madison University’s annual program on energy technology and environmental studies is a big success. All programs have Maltese professors and lecturers as guest speakers and include extensive field trips and cultural guided visits.