UI Approved Programs in Malta
 

About Malta

Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 60 miles south of Sicily, 180 miles east of Tunisia, and about 200 miles north of the African Coast. The Malta archipelago is made of two inhabited islands, Malta (the largest) and Gozo, and one uninhabited island, Comino; the three together comprise 122 square miles. The total population is about 400,000 and its two official languages are English and Maltese.

Malta was originally colonized by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians and is where St. Paul was shipwrecked in AD 60. As the story goes, Paul survived a poisonous snake bite and converted the island to Christianity. Today, 98% of the population identifies as Catholic with enough churches on mainland to attend a different one every day of the year!

Despite its small size, Malta has one of the longest, richest histories in the world; huge temple ruins dot the islands’ landscapes. Gozo is home to the Ġgantija Temple, labeled  the oldest free-standing structure in the world that dates back to 3500 B.C. The Knights of the Order of St. John moved to Malta in 1530 and were responsible for bringing medicine, repelling the Ottoman Empire in 1565, and for building the capitol city of Valetta. Malta was a British colony until 1964 when it gained its independence and joined the EU in 2004.

The Count of Monte Cristo, Tory, and Gladiator were among a long list of movies filmed throughout the Maltese islands. Beautiful beaches, tall, rocky cliffs, colorful boats, firework festivals, elaborate parades, rickety buses, narrow streets, rabbit dinners, roaming cats, and fútbol rivalries add to Malta’s uniqueness.

Maltese Educational System

Education is required from age five till sixteen. Parents can chose to send their children to State, Church or Private Schools. Three main branches exist in the education system: Primary Education from age five till eleven;  Secondary Education from age eleven till sixteen, and Tertiary Education.

The University of Malta is the national University and is recognized by major foreign Universities. Most classes are taught in two-hour segments, meeting once a week and hinge on one final essay exam. Registering for classes consists of attending whatever classes you find interesting the first couple weeks of school and then registering for them through a paper form, signed by the professor and department chairs.