In Home Economics & Human Ecology, a substantial number of the lessons are dedicated to the study of food and nutrition, where you will learn about the different foods that we eat, the nutrients they contain and their benefits, conditions that are caused by the lack or excess consumption of these nutrients, food allergies and intolerances, meal and menu planning, and much more.
Then we also deal with topics related to Consumer Education, where you will learn about the rights and responsibilities that you have as a consumer, learn to interpret labels found on products, as well as how to deal with problems that you might encounter as a consumer. Ensuring the wellbeing of different family members, namely children, adolescents, the elderly and persons with a disability is also a primary focus of Home Economics. Finally, you will also gain knowledge on current environmental issues and concerns, and how you can contribute towards preventing environment related problems.
At Advanced Matriculation level, you will also explore the topic Housing. For more detailed information, one can refer to the syllabus for Home Economics & Human Ecology available at the MATSEC’s website.
Yes, but it is always recommended that you do further reading on the topics being discussed in class so that you increase background knowledge on the area.
At Intermediate Level, you are not required to present coursework. The subject at Intermediate Level is assessed by MATSEC by a 3-hour long written examination.
At Advanced Matriculation level, you are required to submit coursework, which accounts for 25% of the total mark of the examination. This is referred to Paper III in the syllabus. For this coursework, you have to present an investigation using one research technique on any topic mentioned in the syllabus, and a Food Study Task, in which you will be required to do a food experiment and a food production. This work is done under the guidance of your Home Economics Lecturer over the two year course at the Junior College.
You will have to sit for two examination written papers when doing the Advanced Matriculation examination. Paper I, which is 3 hours long assesses the areas: Individual, Family and Household Groups in Society, Habitat and the Environment (which includes Housing) and Management of Resources (which includes Consumer education). Paper II is also 3 hours long and assesses the area of Food, Nutrition and Health. The other paper, Paper III, is the coursework (please refer to the previous question).
Yes, definitely. While the marks that you obtain in your coursework will be taken into account both for getting the Advanced Matriculation examination certification and part of your assessment mark at the Junior College, you will have to carry out other tasks which are assigned by your lecturer during the academic year. These will be used for your Junior College assessment. If you will choose the subject at Intermediate Level, your Junior College assessment will be worked out on marks obtained in the tasks assigned by your lecturer only, as there is no MATSEC coursework for Home Economics and Human Ecology at Intermediate Level. The assessment marks obtained are important for one to be promoted to second year at Junior College.
A pass mark at Advanced Matriculation Level is an entry requirement for the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Home Economics at the University of Malta where later on, one can specialise in choosing a Master’s Teaching and Learning in Home Economics, in Textiles and Fashion, or in Arts in Vocational Training at the Faculty of Education. You can also use it to apply for courses at the University of Malta where specific subjects at Advanced Level are not a requirement. The same applies for the Intermediate Level. Some of our past students pursued their studies by opting for the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Food and Nutritional Sciences, Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Nursing and Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Midwifery at the Faculty of Health Sciences. We also had students who read courses at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing such as with the Department of Social Policy and Social Work. There were also past students who followed their career paths in other institutions such as the Institute for Tourism Studies and the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology.
Students are advised to seek further information on specific courses through the University of Malta webpages and the Student Advisory Services.
If you choose Home Economics and Human Ecology at Intermediate Level, you will have two lectures every week. If you choose it at Advanced Matriculation Level, you will have five lectures and one tutorial.
In a tutorial, the class will be divided into smaller groups, where you will work out past paper questions and clarify difficulties you might encounter during lectures.
A contact hour is a set time in your lecturer’s time table where, after making an appointment, you will meet your lecturer on a one-to-one basis and discuss difficulties that you might have.
The booklist is on Junior College website. However, we always recommend that you do not purchase these books in advance, but wait till you have your first meeting with your lecturer once the academic year begins.
At Intermediate level, there are no practical sessions. At Advanced level, the lecturer might hold demonstrations/or experiments as deemed essential. The Food Experiment, which is part of the Food Study task could also be carried out at Junior College.
It is recommended that one would inform the administration so that the appropriate assistance from the lectures and access arrangements for both the school based examinations and MATSEC would be planned in advance.
The course at Junior College is two years. So the lecturers prepare the students to sit for the examination after the full term of two scholastic years. If a student changes the subject and joins a group during the second year, it is the responsibility of the student to cover the content of the first year. This is more precarious for the Advanced level, as the students would have already done the Investigation, which is part of the MATSEC’s coursework during the first year with their respective lecturer.
The size of the group varies according to the intake and lecturers ensure to give individual attention.
