Postgraduate Diploma in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments
Online 800-hour Postgraduate Diploma in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments. 8 modules covering ISO 26262-8:2018, ISO 26262-2:2018 and MathWorks Polyspace. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Postgraduate Diploma in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments — studying from Canada
Canada hosts growing activity in autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance, with research centres and companies in Ontario, Québec and British Columbia. Toronto and Waterloo have significant artificial intelligence and robotics ecosystems, and the Vector Institute and university labs contribute to perception and control research. Automakers and suppliers are developing software-defined vehicle architectures, requiring expertise in embedded software, sensor fusion and cybersecurity. Regulation is coordinated through provincial authorities and federal guidance from Transport Canada.
Fees for Canada: C$1,700 (Canadian dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Canada
Typical roles
Questions from Canada
Does this qualification count toward a professional engineering licence in Canada?
No, not on its own. In Canada, the Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) licence is issued by provincial associations such as Professional Engineers Ontario, which require accredited education and experience. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by any national body, so they are not recognised as state degrees. Employers or relevant bodies decide whether they value the training, so confirm this in advance.
Are there Canadian employers hiring for autonomous and software-defined vehicle skills?
Canada has active work in autonomous systems, advanced driver assistance and vehicle software, with activity in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Employers generally assess candidates on technical ability, project evidence and experience. A SEIUM final project can showcase your skills, but how a private qualification is regarded depends entirely on the employer, so ask prospective employers what they expect.
Can I manage this training with a job, and do I need English proficiency?
Yes, the courses are 100% online, so you can study from home, and no student visa is needed to study from outside your country. Specialist courses take 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and master's programmes 1,900. Instruction is in English, so you should be comfortable reading and writing technical English. Instalment payments and employer sponsorship may ease costs.
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 design principles that facilitate verification.
Carry out static and formal verification of embedded software.
Plan dynamic testing with coverage required by ASIL.
Qualify tools in accordance with ISO 26262-8.
Organise reviews, audits and safety assessments.
Prepare external independent assessments.
Manage traceable evidence throughout the lifecycle.
Who it's for
- Verification engineer who wants to specialise in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments.
- Functional safety assessor who wants to specialise in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments.
- Process auditor who wants to specialise in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments.
- Software quality engineer who wants to specialise in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments.
- Tool qualification manager who wants to specialise in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments.
- Certification consultant who wants to specialise in Safety-by-Design Verification and Independent Assessments.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to join automotive manufacturers.
What you'll work with
- ISO 26262-8:2018
- ISO 26262-2:2018
- UL 4600
- ISO 21448:2022
- ISO/IEC 17020
- ISO/IEC 17065
- Automotive SPICE 4.0
- MISRA C:2023
8 modules · 800 h
1.1Safe design principles in E/E systems1.2Safe states and controlled degradation1.3Partitioning and freedom from interference1.4Defensive programming and MISRA C standards1.5Three-level monitoring architectures1.6Design diversity and redundancy1.7Management of verifiable requirements1.8Early design reviews1.9The cost of correcting defects late1.10Case study: redesigning a braking ECU for verifiability
2.1Static analysis of source code2.2Abstract interpretation and absence of runtime errors2.3Complexity and coverage metrics2.4Formal verification of models2.5Model checking with temporal properties2.6Verification of Simulink models2.7WCET timing analysis2.8Stack and memory usage analysis2.9Managing false positives2.10Laboratory: static analysis with Polyspace
3.1Unit testing and MC/DC coverage3.2Software integration testing3.3Back-to-back model-to-code testing3.4Requirements-based testing3.5Fault injection in software and hardware3.6Testing on HIL benches3.7Robustness and interface testing3.8Test automation in continuous integration3.9Traceable verification reports3.10Practical exercise: MC/DC test plan for an ASIL C module
4.1Tool classification according to ISO 26262-84.2Impact and detection of tool errors4.3TCL levels and qualification methods4.4Tool validation in the context of use4.5Qualification of certified compilers4.6Simulation tools and their credibility4.7Version management of the toolchain4.8Qualification report4.9Third-party tools and certificates4.10Workshop: qualifying a code generator
5.1Confirmation reviews of work products5.2Functional safety audit5.3Functional safety assessment5.4Independence levels I0 to I35.5Planning confirmation measures by ASIL5.6Checklists and criteria5.7Recording findings and closure5.8Confirmation in distributed development5.9Assessor competence5.10Practical exercise: auditing a safety plan
6.1Independent assessment according to UL 46006.2Inspection bodies under ISO/IEC 170206.3Product certification according to ISO/IEC 170656.4Automotive SPICE assessments6.5Technical service audits for homologation6.6Scope, sampling and evidence6.7Managing the relationship with the assessor6.8Major and minor findings6.9Certificates and subsequent surveillance6.10Case study: preparing for a UL 4600 assessment
7.1Evidence repository and traceability7.2Configuration management of artefacts7.3Verification metrics for management7.4Integrity and retention of records7.5Reuse of evidence across variants7.6Impact of changes on evidence7.7Evidence for OTA updates7.8Process quality indicators7.9Lessons learned7.10Workshop: requirement-test-evidence traceability matrix
8.1Selecting the system to verify8.2Verifiable design strategy8.3Static and dynamic verification plan8.4Tool qualification8.5Confirmation plan8.6External assessment simulation8.7Findings report8.8Corrective action plan8.9Dissertation and presentation8.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Fully 100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the enrolment period, which makes it possible to combine the programme with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is MathWorks Polyspace, LDRA Testbed, VectorCAST, dSPACE SCALEXIO, Jama Connect, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are based on real procedures for static analysis of embedded code, fault injection tests on HIL, audits and independent assessments. Assessment is continuous, module 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.
Apply design principles that facilitate verification.
Carry out static and formal verification of embedded software.
Plan dynamic testing with coverage required by ASIL.
Qualify tools in accordance with ISO 26262-8.
Organise reviews, audits and safety assessments.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. A university degree is not required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient command of Spanish to follow technical standards documentation.
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 consists of 800 total hours spread over 6 to 8 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You will work with MathWorks Polyspace, LDRA Testbed, VectorCAST, dSPACE SCALEXIO, Jama Connect. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An own diploma from SEIUM upon 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 towards the advanced programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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