Course in International Law on Military Financing
Online course of 300 hours in international law on military financing. 6 modules covering Law 47/2003, General Budget Law, Law 9/2017 on Public Sector Contracts and advanced Excel. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Course in International Law on Military Financing — studying from Ireland
Ireland maintains a small defence force, the Defence Forces, which operates its own engineering corps and equipment maintenance capabilities. Defence procurement and development are handled through the Department of Defence, while much of the wider defence-related industrial activity involves dual-use technologies, electronics and communications systems supplied by domestic and international firms. Engineers in this area typically work on land vehicle maintenance, military communications, protective equipment and systems integration. Policy and procurement are governed by national and European frameworks, including EU defence initiatives.
Fees for Ireland: €448 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Ireland
Typical roles
Questions from Ireland
Which Irish bodies oversee defence engineering and does a private qualification count?
Defence in Ireland is overseen by the Department of Defence, and the Defence Forces run their own training and technical structures. Engineers Ireland sets general professional engineering standards. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not state-awarded, and they are not accredited by any national body, so recognition for any defence-related role is decided by the relevant authority or employer.
Do Irish defence and land-systems employers hire people with private online qualifications?
Irish defence-related hiring is limited and often subject to security vetting and specific qualification requirements, so employers set their own criteria. A private online qualification may be taken into account alongside experience, but we cannot say how any employer will view it or guarantee any result. Check requirements for particular roles directly.
Can I study this from Ireland while working, and what is the workload?
Yes, the programme is 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from home without travel or a student visa. Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and specialist courses 300. Each student has an assigned technical tutor, fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible. Plan your weekly hours realistically around your job.
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
Explain the structure and cycle of the defence budget.
Identify the internal legal framework governing military expenditure.
Analyse the international instruments for transparency in military expenditure.
Apply defence and security public procurement regulations.
Evaluate parliamentary control and external audit mechanisms.
Interpret comparative military expenditure data with methodological rigour.
Prepare an accountability report on a financing programme.
Who it's for
- Defence budget analyst wishing to specialise in International Law on Military Financing.
- Legal adviser in defence public procurement wishing to specialise in International Law on Military Financing.
- Public sector auditor wishing to specialise in International Law on Military Financing.
- Financial control technician wishing to specialise in International Law on Military Financing.
- Researcher in defence economics wishing to specialise in International Law on Military Financing.
- Regulatory compliance consultant wishing to specialise in International Law on Military Financing.
- Graduates in engineering or sciences seeking to enter public administration.
What you'll work with
- Law 47/2003, General Budget Law
- Law 9/2017, on Public Sector Contracts
- Directive 2009/81/EC (defence and security procurement)
- Organic Law 2/1982, on the Court of Audit
- Regulation (EU) 2021/697 (European Defence Fund)
- Treaty on European Union, Art. 41 (financing of the CSDP)
- UN Standardised Reporting on Military Expenditures (Res. 35/142 B)
- Arms Trade Treaty (2013)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Defence budget and its structure1.2Current expenditure, investment and research1.3Special armament programmes and their multi-year financing1.4Debt, extraordinary credits and modifications1.5International spending commitments1.6Budget transparency and classification1.7Parliamentary control of the budget1.8Courts of audit and public auditing1.9Budgetary and legal vocabulary1.10Exercise: analysing the structure of a budget
2.1Reserve of law and budgetary principles2.2Approval and amendment procedure2.3Multi-year spending commitments and their authorisation2.4Public procurement and financing2.5Prior review and internal control2.6Accounting and patrimonial liability2.7Relevant constitutional case law2.8Classification of budget information2.9Public access to spending information2.10Practice: analysing the legality of an amendment
3.1Financing multinational operations3.2Cost sharing in international organisations3.3European defence funds and their rules3.4Cooperative programmes and agreements between States3.5Military assistance and its legal framework3.6Financing peacekeeping missions3.7Export credits and public guarantees3.8World Trade Organisation rules and subsidies3.9Taxation and status of forces agreements3.10Practice: analysing the cost sharing of a mission
4.1International embargoes and sanctions4.2Prohibitions on financing certain weapons4.3Human rights due diligence4.4Private finance and banking: exclusion policies4.5Liability of the financier4.6Money laundering and terrorist financing4.7Corruption associated with major programmes4.8International supervisory mechanisms4.9Litigation and civil society action4.10Practice: assessing the legal risk of an operation
5.1Assessment of spending efficiency5.2Life-cycle cost of a programme5.3Cost overruns and delays: recurring causes5.4Budget performance indicators5.5Audit reports and their follow-up5.6Role of independent research institutes5.7International spending comparison5.8Public debate on priorities5.9Proposed reforms to the system5.10Practice: simulated audit report
6.1Choice of programme or budget to analyse6.2Reconstruction of its financing6.3Analysis of the applicable legal framework6.4Identification of legal and integrity risks6.5Analysis of available transparency6.6Proposal for control improvements6.7Monitoring indicators6.8Accountability plan6.9Analysis report6.10Defence of the work
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: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine study with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original legislation and applied exercises. The working software is Advanced Excel, SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Power BI, Python (pandas), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for analysing public defence budgets, documentary compliance audits and audit case studies. Assessment is continuous, module by module, plus the final integrating project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Explain the structure and cycle of the defence budget.
Identify the internal legal framework governing military expenditure.
Analyse the international instruments for transparency in military expenditure.
Apply defence and security public procurement regulations.
Evaluate parliamentary control and external audit mechanisms.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient English to follow the reading of technical regulations.
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 300 hours, spread over 3 to 5 months. This is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with full-time work.
The programme uses Advanced Excel, SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Power BI, Python (pandas). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
SEIUM Institute's own diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. It is an in-house training qualification, not an official title from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or Postgraduate Diploma in the same area are recognised towards the higher-level programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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