Course in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning
300-hour online course in ethics in tactical urban planning. 6 modules covering the Geneva Conventions (1949) and Additional Protocols (1977), Additional Protocol I, Articles 51 and 57 (protection of the civilian population and precautions) and QGIS. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Course in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning — studying from Australia
Defence is one of Australia's largest engineering employers, with major programmes in land systems, naval platforms, aircraft and integrated systems managed through the Department of Defence. Land systems engineering supports armoured vehicles, weapons and logistics equipment, often through prime contractors and local industry partners. Industry involvement is strongly encouraged through the Defence industry policy framework. Engineers work on sustainment, capability development, systems integration and safety assurance, typically in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and regional defence precincts.
Fees for Australia: A$868 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Australia
Typical roles
Questions from Australia
How does defence engineering recognition work in Australia?
Defence engineering in Australia is largely run through the Department of Defence and its industry partners, which set their own security clearance and qualification requirements. Engineers Australia is the professional body for accreditation. SEIUM's private qualifications are not accredited by these bodies, so recognition is for employers or the relevant body to decide.
Which Australian employers hire in defence and land systems?
Australia has defence prime contractors, the Department of Defence, and specialist land systems firms. Many of these roles require Australian security clearances, which depend on citizenship and background checks rather than course completion. Ask employers how they weigh private qualifications against experience and clearance requirements.
Is the course manageable with a job, and does it need a visa?
The programmes are 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from Australia without a student visa. Specialist courses take 300 hours, diplomas 800 and master's 1,900. An assigned technical tutor supports you, fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Understand the particularities of the urban environment in conflict situations.
Apply the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in international humanitarian law.
Analyse the reverberating effects of damage on essential urban services.
Identify protected cultural property and infrastructure using GIS tools.
Design measures to protect and build the resilience of the civilian population.
Reflect on the ethical responsibility of the urban planner.
Develop an urban protection project focused on the civilian population.
Who it's for
- Civilian protection adviser wishing to specialise in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning.
- Urban resilience planner wishing to specialise in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning.
- Humanitarian GIS analyst wishing to specialise in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning.
- Civil protection technician wishing to specialise in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning.
- Legal adviser in international humanitarian law wishing to specialise in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning.
- Researcher in conflict studies wishing to specialise in Ethics in Tactical Urban Planning.
- Graduates in engineering or science seeking to join international organisations.
What you'll work with
- Geneva Conventions (1949) and Additional Protocols (1977)
- Additional Protocol I, Articles 51 and 57 (protection of the civilian population and precautions)
- Hague Convention of 1954 (protection of cultural property)
- Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (2022)
- UN Security Council Resolution 2573 (2021) (protection of indispensable objects)
- Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
- Law 17/2015 on the National Civil Protection System
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Urbanisation and contemporary conflicts1.2Urban morphology and vulnerability1.3Essential infrastructure: water, energy and health1.4Cascading effects on urban services1.5Lessons from Mosul, Aleppo and Mariupol1.6Civilian population in dense environments1.7Forced displacement and shelter1.8Urban heritage and memory1.9Urban planning for resilience1.10Case study: critical services map of a city
2.1Principles of distinction and proportionality2.2Precautions in attack: Article 57 of Protocol I2.3Objects indispensable to survival2.4Protection of hospitals and cultural property2.5Hague Convention of 19542.6Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (2022)2.7Indirect damage and reverberating effects2.8Command responsibility and planners2.9Investigations and accountability2.10Workshop: assessing an urban plan against IHL criteria
3.1Methodologies for estimating collateral damage3.2Civilian casualty data: sources and limits3.3Remote sensing for damage assessment3.4Urban network analysis and interdependencies3.5Impact models for health services3.6Biases and information gaps3.7Uncertainty and decisions3.8Damage recording and compensation3.9Civil Harm Mitigation (CHM) in NATO3.10Practical exercise: interdependency analysis of a water network
4.1Planning evacuations and corridors4.2Shelters and civil protection4.3Continuity of essential services4.4Resilience of infrastructure against attack4.5Civil-military coordination (CIMIC)4.6Humanitarian actors and humanitarian space4.7Reconstruction and urban demining: IMAS standards4.8Community participation4.9Vulnerable groups in planning4.10Case study: hospital continuity plan
5.1Dilemmas between military objectives and civilian life5.2Technical responsibility of the urban planner5.3Use of urban data and privacy5.4Urban simulation tools and their biases5.5Artificial intelligence in urban planning5.6Transparency and democratic oversight5.7Conscientious objection5.8Lessons from inquiry commissions5.9Professional codes of ethics5.10Workshop: deliberation on an urban dilemma
6.1Selection of a study city6.2Urban vulnerability analysis6.3Critical infrastructure map6.4Assessment of cascading effects6.5Civil protection measures6.6Regulatory and ethical analysis6.7Resilience and reconstruction plan6.8Monitoring indicators6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetable: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it compatible with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Python (GeoPandas), Esri CityEngine, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Assignments are based on real procedures for cartographic analysis of essential infrastructure, conflict case studies and urban civil protection plans. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Understand the particularities of the urban environment in conflict situations.
Apply the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in international humanitarian law.
Analyse the reverberating effects of damage on essential urban services.
Identify protected cultural property and infrastructure using GIS tools.
Design measures to protect and build the resilience of the civilian population.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- A sufficient level of Spanish to follow technical regulatory texts.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme comprises 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours a week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Python (GeoPandas), Esri CityEngine. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An SEIUM diploma on passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. It is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the advanced programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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