Diploma in Restraint and Passive Safety (Airbags/Pretensioners)
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in restraint systems and passive safety (airbags/pretensioners): 8 modules covering impact biomechanics, seat belts and pretensioners, airbag systems, sensing and control, testing and type approval, restraint simulation and emerging passive safety challenges, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Restraint and Passive Safety (Airbags/Pretensioners) — studying from Canada
Product design and human-machine interface work is well established in Canada across automotive, aerospace, medical devices and consumer electronics. Design studios and engineering firms in Toronto, Montréal, Waterloo and Vancouver develop user interfaces for vehicles, industrial equipment and healthcare technology. Usability and accessibility requirements are shaped by national standards and provincial legislation, including the Accessible Canada Act at the federal level. Typical employers include manufacturers, software companies and design consultancies.
Fees for Canada: C$2,790 (Canadian dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Canada
Typical roles
Questions from Canada
Is design or HMI work in Canada regulated, and how does SEIUM fit in?
Product and HMI design is generally not a licensed profession in Canada, unlike engineering, which is regulated by provincial associations issuing Professional Engineer licences. SEIUM's qualifications are private, not official state degrees and not accredited by a national body. Recognition is decided by employers or relevant bodies, so confirm acceptance with them before enrolling.
Do Canadian product and interface design employers value this kind of study?
Canadian design employers, including software firms in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, usually focus on portfolios, user research and shipped work. A SEIUM qualification may add to your profile, especially with a strong final project, but whether it is valued depends on each employer. Build your portfolio alongside your studies.
How much time does this need alongside work, and how is it paid for?
The courses are fully online, so you can study from home at your own pace. Specialist courses take 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and master's 1,900, so consider your weekly availability. Teaching is in English with an assigned technical tutor. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible, which you can ask your employer about.
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 biomechanical injury criteria to occupant assessment.
Design seat belt configurations with pretensioners and load limiters.
Analyse how the different airbags work and deploy.
Understand the sensing and firing algorithms of restraint systems.
Interpret type approval and Euro NCAP tests.
Simulate and optimise restraint systems with LS-DYNA and MADYMO.
Assess restraint challenges in automated vehicles.
Who it's for
- Passive safety engineers
- Restraint systems engineers
- Crash simulation analysts
- Crash test engineers
- Type approval engineers
- Functional safety engineers
- Engineering or science graduates looking to move into the automotive sector
What you'll work with
- UN ECE Regulation No. 94 (frontal collision protection)
- UN ECE Regulation No. 16 (safety belts and restraint systems)
- ISO 26262 (functional safety of road vehicles)
- UN ECE Regulation No. 95 (lateral collision protection)
- UN ECE Regulation No. 137 (full-width frontal collision)
- UN ECE Regulation No. 129 (enhanced child restraint systems)
- UN ECE Regulation No. 135 (pole side impact)
- Euro NCAP Adult Occupant Protection
- LS-DYNA
- MADYMO
- Primer
- DIAdem
- Ansys
8 modules
1.1Occupant kinematics in a collision1.2Human tolerance and injury criteria1.3HIC, Nij and thoracic criteria1.4AIS injury scale1.5Hybrid III, THOR and WorldSID dummies1.6Q-series child dummies1.7THUMS and GHBMC human body models1.8Differences by sex, age and stature1.9Accident research and databases1.10Workshop: reading deceleration curves from a test
2.1Anatomy of a three-point seat belt2.2Retractors and locking2.3Pyrotechnic retractor and buckle pretensioners2.4Reversible electric pretensioners2.5Load limiters2.6Anchorage geometry2.7Slack and activation timing2.8Seat belt reminder2.9Seat belts in rear seating positions2.10Practical: load limiter optimisation
3.1How gas generators work3.2Driver and passenger frontal airbags3.3Knee airbags3.4Side thorax and pelvis airbags3.5Curtain airbags3.6Far-side centre airbags3.7Folding and deployment3.8Venting and pressure control3.9Out-of-position deployment risks3.10Lab: airbag deployment analysis in simulation
4.1Airbag control unit4.2Acceleration and pressure sensors4.3Firing algorithms4.4Occupant detection and classification4.5Passenger airbag deactivation4.6Pre-crash sensors and early activation4.7Integration with ADAS4.8Functional safety to ISO 262624.9Diagnostics and tell-tales4.10Case study: firing logic for a frontal collision
5.1UN ECE Regulation No. 94 frontal5.2UN ECE Regulation No. 95 lateral5.3UN ECE Regulation No. 137 full-width5.4UN ECE Regulation No. 135 pole side impact5.5Sled tests5.6Euro NCAP occupant protection protocols5.7Child restraint and Regulation No. 1295.8Instrumentation and data analysis5.9Correlation between test and simulation5.10Workshop: analysing the results of a frontal test
6.1Dummy models in LS-DYNA6.2MADYMO for restraint systems6.3Airbag modelling: uniform pressure and particles6.4Seat belt modelling6.5Optimising restraint parameters6.6Robustness analysis6.7Active human body models6.8Model validation6.9Simulation data management6.10Practical: restraint optimisation with MADYMO
7.1Occupants in autonomous vehicles7.2Swivelled and reclined seats7.3Vulnerable and older occupants7.4Electric vehicles and structure7.5Sustainability of gas generators7.6Repair and replacement after a collision7.7Recalls of defective airbags7.8Regulatory trends in restraint7.9Ethics and product liability7.10Case study: restraint in a reclined seat
8.1Defining the impact scenario8.2Selecting the dummy and criteria8.3Seat belt and pretensioner configuration8.4Airbag configuration8.5Simulation and optimisation8.6Comparison with requirements8.7Improvement proposal8.8Robustness analysis against scatter8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final 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. 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 standard and applied exercises. The working software is LS-DYNA, MADYMO, Primer, DIAdem and Ansys, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures for restraint system simulation with virtual dummies, crash test data analysis, and optimisation of seat belt and airbag parameters. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final integration project.
Standards covered: UN ECE Regulation No. 94 (frontal collision protection); UN ECE Regulation No. 16 (safety belts and restraint systems); ISO 26262 (functional safety of road vehicles); UN ECE Regulation No. 95 (lateral collision protection); UN ECE Regulation No. 137 (full-width frontal collision); UN ECE Regulation No. 129 (enhanced child restraint systems); UN ECE Regulation No. 135 (pole side impact); Euro NCAP Adult Occupant Protection.
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 LS-DYNA, MADYMO, Primer, DIAdem and Ansys, 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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