I refer to the article ‘Chamber of Engineers, students angered by “radically different” board decision’ (May 7).

The article is entirely misleading, trying to picture the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology’s 240 credit engineering degree as one that is only of 120 credits. The truth is that Mcast Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) courses conform to the requirements for 240-credit Bachelor’s degrees as laid out in the national referencing report (page 38) published by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education, thus fully in line with national educational requisites.

The second issue is the pre-warrant qualification course, which has been approved by the Engineering Board, the sole authority competent to decide on issues related to the engineering warrant in Malta. It was designed to help past graduates to bridge any gap there may have been between the Mcast B.Eng. courses and the expectations of the Engineering Board. Past B.Eng. graduates who also complete the pre-warrant qualification course will be able to apply for a warrant to practise as engineers.

The pre-warrant qualification course consists of 30 credits that translate themselves into 150 hours of lectures delivered over a period of approximately six months and is pegged at level 6 of the Malta Qualifications Framework. Participation in this pre-warrant qualification course is restricted to successful graduates from the full Mcast B.Eng. 240 ECTS programmes. The students will sit for a number of examinations and also prepare a scientific paper of publishable standard. The work produced by the students will be examined by boards of professional engineers and academics appointed by Mcast. The assessment process, as is customary for all Mcast level 6 programmes, will also be reviewed by external examiners.

Mcast had a very positive response from students who have applied to start this programme. This clearly shows that Mcast students are very keen on furthering their education beyond what they have already achieved in their full 240 ECTS B.Eng. programme as part of their goal to become leading members of the engineering profession.

Mcast is very proud of its B.Eng. graduates. Our alumni occupy key posts in industry. They have also made great strides in the academic field, with more than 40 per cent successfully pursuing post-graduate qualifications at Master’s or doctorate level in leading universities overseas.