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Postgraduate DiplomaDesign, HMI & Product Applications open

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.

Duration800 hours · 6–8 months
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Apply biomechanical injury criteria to occupant assessment.

02

Design seat belt configurations with pretensioners and load limiters.

03

Analyse how the different airbags work and deploy.

04

Understand the sensing and firing algorithms of restraint systems.

05

Interpret type approval and Euro NCAP tests.

06

Simulate and optimise restraint systems with LS-DYNA and MADYMO.

07

Assess restraint challenges in automated vehicles.

Profile

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
Standards & tools

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
Syllabus

8 modules

  1. 1.1Occupant kinematics in a collision
  2. 1.2Human tolerance and injury criteria
  3. 1.3HIC, Nij and thoracic criteria
  4. 1.4AIS injury scale
  5. 1.5Hybrid III, THOR and WorldSID dummies
  6. 1.6Q-series child dummies
  7. 1.7THUMS and GHBMC human body models
  8. 1.8Differences by sex, age and stature
  9. 1.9Accident research and databases
  10. 1.10Workshop: reading deceleration curves from a test
  1. 2.1Anatomy of a three-point seat belt
  2. 2.2Retractors and locking
  3. 2.3Pyrotechnic retractor and buckle pretensioners
  4. 2.4Reversible electric pretensioners
  5. 2.5Load limiters
  6. 2.6Anchorage geometry
  7. 2.7Slack and activation timing
  8. 2.8Seat belt reminder
  9. 2.9Seat belts in rear seating positions
  10. 2.10Practical: load limiter optimisation
  1. 3.1How gas generators work
  2. 3.2Driver and passenger frontal airbags
  3. 3.3Knee airbags
  4. 3.4Side thorax and pelvis airbags
  5. 3.5Curtain airbags
  6. 3.6Far-side centre airbags
  7. 3.7Folding and deployment
  8. 3.8Venting and pressure control
  9. 3.9Out-of-position deployment risks
  10. 3.10Lab: airbag deployment analysis in simulation
  1. 4.1Airbag control unit
  2. 4.2Acceleration and pressure sensors
  3. 4.3Firing algorithms
  4. 4.4Occupant detection and classification
  5. 4.5Passenger airbag deactivation
  6. 4.6Pre-crash sensors and early activation
  7. 4.7Integration with ADAS
  8. 4.8Functional safety to ISO 26262
  9. 4.9Diagnostics and tell-tales
  10. 4.10Case study: firing logic for a frontal collision
  1. 5.1UN ECE Regulation No. 94 frontal
  2. 5.2UN ECE Regulation No. 95 lateral
  3. 5.3UN ECE Regulation No. 137 full-width
  4. 5.4UN ECE Regulation No. 135 pole side impact
  5. 5.5Sled tests
  6. 5.6Euro NCAP occupant protection protocols
  7. 5.7Child restraint and Regulation No. 129
  8. 5.8Instrumentation and data analysis
  9. 5.9Correlation between test and simulation
  10. 5.10Workshop: analysing the results of a frontal test
  1. 6.1Dummy models in LS-DYNA
  2. 6.2MADYMO for restraint systems
  3. 6.3Airbag modelling: uniform pressure and particles
  4. 6.4Seat belt modelling
  5. 6.5Optimising restraint parameters
  6. 6.6Robustness analysis
  7. 6.7Active human body models
  8. 6.8Model validation
  9. 6.9Simulation data management
  10. 6.10Practical: restraint optimisation with MADYMO
  1. 7.1Occupants in autonomous vehicles
  2. 7.2Swivelled and reclined seats
  3. 7.3Vulnerable and older occupants
  4. 7.4Electric vehicles and structure
  5. 7.5Sustainability of gas generators
  6. 7.6Repair and replacement after a collision
  7. 7.7Recalls of defective airbags
  8. 7.8Regulatory trends in restraint
  9. 7.9Ethics and product liability
  10. 7.10Case study: restraint in a reclined seat
  1. 8.1Defining the impact scenario
  2. 8.2Selecting the dummy and criteria
  3. 8.3Seat belt and pretensioner configuration
  4. 8.4Airbag configuration
  5. 8.5Simulation and optimisation
  6. 8.6Comparison with requirements
  7. 8.7Improvement proposal
  8. 8.8Robustness analysis against scatter
  9. 8.9Report and presentation
  10. 8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
Methodology, software & labs

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.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of UN ECE Regulations No. 94 and 16 and ISO 26262 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:LS-DYNA, MADYMO, Primer, DIAdem and Ansys, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Final project:a complete restraint system design for a defined impact scenario, simulated, optimised and checked for robustness, reviewed by your tutor.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Define the impact scenario
Set the impact scenario and select the dummy and injury criteria.
Configure belt and pretensioner
Define the seat belt, pretensioner and load limiter configuration.
Configure the airbags
Specify the airbag set-up for the scenario.
Simulate and optimise
Simulate the restraint system and optimise its parameters against requirements.
Final project
Propose improvements, analyse robustness against scatter and present the report to your tutor.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Passive safety engineerRestraint systems engineerCrash simulation analystCrash test engineerType approval engineerFunctional safety engineer
Admissions & scholarships

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.

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FAQ

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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