Diploma in Safety Assessment (ARP4761) and Certification Planning
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in safety assessment (ARP4761) and certification planning: 8 modules covering aircraft systems safety, functional hazard assessment, PSSA and DAL assignment, fault trees and FMEA, common cause analysis, the system safety assessment and certification planning, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Safety Assessment (ARP4761) and Certification Planning — studying from Australia
Australia's aerospace sector spans defence and commercial aviation, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and a growing space industry. Key clusters sit around Adelaide's Edinburgh Parks and the Melbourne and Sydney defence precincts, with major employers including Airbus Australia Pacific, BAE Systems Australia, Boeing Defence Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia. Recreational and commercial drone operations are increasingly regulated, and advanced air mobility is emerging as a research and policy priority. Engineers working in this area typically support airworthiness, systems integration, structures and avionics across both crewed and uncrewed platforms.
Fees for Australia: A$2,850 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Australia
Typical roles
Questions from Australia
Does a SEIUM qualification help me get recognised by a professional body in Australia?
SEIUM qualifications are private qualifications, not official state degrees, and they are not accredited by any Australian body. Engineers Australia accredits university engineering degrees, and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates drone and aviation operations. Recognition of a private qualification is decided by the employer or the relevant body, so check with them before enrolling.
Will this course help me find work in Australian aerospace, drones or space?
Australia has aerospace and defence employers, drone operators and space-sector companies, and skills in these areas are valued. Whether a SEIUM qualification counts for a given role depends on the employer, who will usually weigh your experience and portfolio alongside any private credential. Ask prospective employers how they view it.
Can I study this part-time while working, and does the time zone suit Australia?
The programmes are fully online and taught in English, so you can study from anywhere in Australia, with no student visa needed for home study. Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, so plan your weekly load realistically. 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
Apply the safety assessment process according to ARP4761A.
Prepare functional hazard assessments at aircraft and system level.
Assign development assurance levels to architectures.
Build and quantify fault trees and FMEA analyses.
Carry out common cause, zonal and particular risks analyses.
Integrate the results into the final system safety assessment.
Plan certification programmes with suitable means of compliance.
Who it's for
- System safety engineers.
- Certification engineers.
- Reliability analysts.
- Aircraft systems engineers who need to produce or review safety analyses.
- Airworthiness managers.
- Consultants working in DOA design offices.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to work for aircraft manufacturers.
What you'll work with
- SAE ARP4761A (safety assessment process for civil aircraft and systems)
- SAE ARP4754B (development of civil aircraft and systems)
- CS 25.1309 and AMC 25.1309 (equipment, systems and installations safety requirements)
- Regulation (EU) 748/2012 (Part 21) (airworthiness and environmental certification)
- FAA AC 25.1309-1A (FAA system design and analysis guidance)
- RTCA DO-178C (airborne software assurance)
- RTCA DO-254 (airborne electronic hardware assurance)
- Isograph Reliability Workbench
- Ansys medini analyze
- ReliaSoft BlockSim
- Windchill Risk and Reliability
8 modules
1.1Philosophy of the 1309 requirement1.2Failure conditions and severity1.3Quantitative probability objectives1.4Single failures and latent failures1.5The integrated ARP4754B and ARP4761A process1.6Relationship with software and hardware assurance1.7Lessons from accidents1.8Safety versus reliability1.9Sources of failure rates1.10Case study: failure classification of a braking system
2.1Identifying functions2.2Functional failure conditions2.3Flight phases and operating environment2.4Effects on crew and occupants2.5Justifying severity2.6Derived safety requirements2.7Assumptions and their validation2.8FHA documentation2.9Review with the authority2.10Workshop: FHA of a flight control system
3.1Candidate architectures3.2Preliminary fault trees3.3FDAL and IDAL assignment3.4Functional and item independence3.5Level reduction rules3.6Requirements flowed to software and hardware3.7Monitors and mitigations3.8Iteration between design and safety3.9Traceability of safety requirements3.10Practical: DAL assignment for a dual architecture
4.1Building fault trees4.2Logic gates and minimal cut sets4.3Quantification and exposure times4.4Latent failures and inspection intervals4.5Markov analysis4.6FMEA and FMES summary4.7Dependence diagrams4.8Sensitivity analysis4.9Birnbaum and Fussell-Vesely importance4.10Lab: quantitative fault tree
5.1Structure of the CCA5.2Zonal safety analysis5.3Particular risks analysis5.4Uncontained rotor failure5.5Fire, hail and bird strike5.6Common mode analysis5.7Segregation and diversity5.8Maintenance errors5.9Environmental factors5.10Case study: engine rotor burst analysis
6.1Content and closure of the SSA6.2Verification of safety requirements6.3Consolidating FTA and FMEA results6.4Test evidence6.5MMEL and dispatch with failures6.6CMR maintenance requirements6.7Instructions for continued airworthiness6.8In-service monitoring6.9Impact of design changes6.10Practical: writing the conclusions of an SSA
7.1Certification basis and Part 217.2Certification programme7.3Means of compliance7.4CRI documents and issue papers7.5Level of involvement of the authority7.6Certification test programme7.7Managing findings7.8Major changes and STCs7.9EASA-FAA bilateral validation7.10Case study: certification plan for a modification
8.1System and function description8.2System FHA8.3PSSA and DAL assignment8.4Quantified fault trees8.5Common cause analysis8.6Draft SSA8.7Certification plan8.8Conclusions8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so the programme fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standards and applied exercises. The working software is Isograph Reliability Workbench, Ansys medini analyze, ReliaSoft BlockSim and Windchill Risk and Reliability, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Real procedures are studied: quantitative fault tree analysis, functional hazard assessments of real systems and preparation of certification plans for modifications. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: SAE ARP4761A, SAE ARP4754B, CS 25.1309 and AMC 25.1309, Regulation (EU) 748/2012 (Part 21), FAA AC 25.1309-1A, RTCA DO-178C, RTCA DO-254.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
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 totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with Isograph Reliability Workbench, Ansys medini analyze, ReliaSoft BlockSim and Windchill Risk and Reliability, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software, and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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