Diploma in Life Cycle and Total Cost of Military Vehicles
600-hour online postgraduate diploma in the life cycle and total cost of military vehicles: parametric estimating, reliability, logistic support, availability contracting and obsolescence, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Life Cycle and Total Cost of Military Vehicles — studying from Canada
Canada's defence sector is centred on procurement and sustainment through the Department of National Defence and Defence Research and Development Canada. Industrial activity spans land vehicles, naval systems, avionics and electronics, with firms in Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. Companies such as General Dynamics Land Systems Canada and Lockheed Martin Canada are notable employers, alongside a broad base of small and medium suppliers. Engineers work on systems integration, vehicle protection, logistics and sustainment, operating within strict security and export control frameworks.
Fees for Canada: C$2,010 (Canadian dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Canada
Typical roles
Questions from Canada
Which Canadian bodies or processes govern defence engineering recognition?
Defence engineering in Canada often involves government procurement and security clearances, and engineers typically hold provincial Professional Engineer licences where a title is required. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not official state degrees or accredited by a national body, so they do not confer licensing or clearance. Recognition is for employers or the relevant body to decide, so verify this first.
Would Canadian defence or land systems employers accept this training?
Canadian defence employers and contractors generally rely on security clearance, licensing and demonstrated experience. A private qualification may support your application, but it is unlikely to replace those requirements, and its acceptance is up to each employer. A SEIUM final project can help show applied skill, so discuss expectations with prospective employers early.
Can I study remotely while working, and what are the costs and language demands?
Yes, the programmes are fully online, so you can study from Canada or elsewhere without a student visa, and fit sessions around work. Specialist courses are 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and master's 1,900. Teaching is in English, supported by an assigned technical tutor. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be available.
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 AAP-20 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 phase and decision-gate model to a vehicle programme.
Build the life cycle cost breakdown structure in line with IEC 60300-3-3.
Estimate costs with analogous, parametric and engineering methods, including learning curves and inflation.
Quantify cost risk through Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis.
Calculate reliability, maintainability and operational availability and set measurable contractual targets.
Plan logistic support with S3000L and S2000M and compare organic and contracted support.
Manage obsolescence, mid-life upgrades and system disposal within the overall cost model.
Who it's for
- Programme office engineers for land vehicles in the defence industry and administration.
- Cost analysts and estimators preparing programme bids and budgets.
- Integrated logistic support and logistic support analysis managers.
- Reliability, maintainability and availability engineers.
- Managers of performance-based support contracts and supplier relationships.
- Industrial, mechanical or management graduates who want to move into defence programmes.
What you'll work with
- AAP-20 (NATO programme management framework)
- AAP-48 (NATO system life cycle stages)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 (system life cycle processes)
- IEC 60300-3-3 (life cycle costing)
- ASD S3000L (logistic support analysis)
- ASD S2000M (materiel management and provisioning)
- ASD S1000D (standardised technical publications)
- IEC 62402 (obsolescence management)
- Spanish Law 9/2017 on Public Sector Contracts (public procurement in Spain)
8 modules
1.1Life cycle phases under the allied standard1.2Decision gates and milestone reviews1.3Operational need document and requirements1.4Role and structure of the programme office1.5Analysis of alternatives before acquisition1.6Programme risk management and the risk register1.7Integration between systems engineering and support1.8ISO 15288 applied to the programme1.9Stakeholders and the decision matrix1.10Contractual life cycle documentation
2.1Acquisition and operating cost categories2.2Work breakdown structure and its coding2.3Recurring versus non-recurring costs2.4Fuel and consumables cost per hour2.5Operation and maintenance personnel costs2.6Infrastructure and associated facilities costs2.7Initial and refresher training costs2.8Disposal and decontamination costs2.9Time profile of expenditure and discounting2.10Reconciling budget and actual cost
3.1Analogous, parametric and engineering methods3.2Learning curves in series production3.3Cost estimating relationships based on mass and power3.4Historical data sources and normalisation3.5Treatment of inflation and exchange rates3.6Cost risk analysis by simulation3.7Management reserve and contingency margin3.8Validating the estimate by independent review3.9Sensitivity analysis on key parameters3.10Documenting assumptions and confidence level
4.1Reliability prediction and failure distributions4.2Mean time between failures and to repair4.3Failure modes and effects analysis4.4Design for maintainability and accessibility4.5Calculating operational availability4.6Reliability growth during testing4.7Subsystem fault tree analysis4.8Accelerated testing and acceleration factor4.9In-service failure data collection4.10Contractual reliability targets and their measurement
5.1Logistic support analysis and its products5.2Spares catalogue and initial provisioning5.3Maintenance levels and task allocation5.4Sizing ground support equipment5.5Technical publications in a standard format5.6Transport, packaging and preservation of materiel5.7Management of the repairable spares pool5.8Component traceability by serial number5.9Programme logistic information system5.10Support effectiveness indicators
6.1Performance-based support contracts6.2Defining the agreed availability metric6.3Risk sharing between customer and contractor6.4Incentives linked to meeting the target6.5Auditing data supplied by the contractor6.6Managing ownership of technical data6.7Transfer of logistic responsibility6.8Periodic review of prices and volumes6.9Single-source dependency and its mitigation6.10Comparing organic and contracted support
7.1Monitoring obsolescence of electronic components7.2Last-time buys and storage7.3Redesign to replace a discontinued component7.4System life extension plans7.5Mid-life upgrade and its justification7.6Configuration management across different batches7.7Environmental regulations and restricted substances7.8Disposal and demilitarisation procedure7.9Material recovery and recycling7.10Disposal cost in the overall model
8.1Defining the system and its expected usage profile8.2Building the cost breakdown structure8.3Collecting reference historical data8.4Estimating acquisition and operating costs8.5Modelling reliability and availability8.6Sizing spares and support8.7Simulating cost risk with Monte Carlo8.8Comparing contracted support alternatives8.9Including obsolescence and disposal cost8.10Presenting the model and its conclusions
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so you can combine the programme with your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Excel, @RISK, Power BI, MS Project, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Cases are studied on typical defence land vehicle programmes: wheeled armoured vehicles, logistic vehicles and support platforms. Assessment is continuous, module by module, plus the final integrated project.
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 able to run 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 600 hours over 6–9 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with Excel, @RISK, Power BI and MS Project, 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 programme 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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