Course in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems
Online 300-hour course in ethics of autonomy in land systems. 6 modules covering Additional Protocol I, Art. 36 (new weapons review), the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and ROS 2. Personal tutor assigned and enrolment open.
Course in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems — studying from India
India's defence sector is a major engineering employer, with public undertakings such as Bharat Electronics, Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Dynamics and Bharat Earth Movers, alongside private firms like Tata Advanced Systems and Larsen & Toubro. Research and development is coordinated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, and procurement and capability planning sit within the Ministry of Defence. Engineers work on land systems, armoured vehicles, weapon platforms and military electronics, with a strong policy push towards indigenous design and manufacturing under the Make in India initiative.
Fees for India: ₹47,500 (Indian Rupee), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in India
Typical roles
Questions from India
How are defence and military engineers recognised in India?
Defence engineering in India is largely recognised through government channels such as DRDO, the Ministry of Defence, and the armed forces' engineering branches, with recruitment governed by public service rules. The Institution of Engineers (India) is the general professional body. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by any national body, so recognition is decided by the employer or relevant authority.
Which employers in India hire defence and land systems engineers?
Employers include DRDO laboratories, Ordnance Factory Board units, defence public sector undertakings such as BEL and HAL, and private defence manufacturers. Military engineering roles are filled through official recruitment. A private online qualification can add technical depth, but government and defence employers mainly assess formal qualifications, security clearance and experience.
Is this programme workable with a job in India, and does it need a visa?
The programme is 100% online and taught in English, so no student visa is needed if you study from India. Time required is about 300 hours for specialist courses, 800 for diplomas and 1,900 for master's programmes. You get an assigned technical tutor, and fees can be paid in instalments. Ask your employer about sponsorship, since many defence firms fund further training.
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
Characterise land robotic systems and their levels of autonomy.
Analyse the specific ethical challenges of the land environment.
Apply ethical design methodologies to autonomous systems.
Interpret the regulations and legal review processes for new systems.
Assess meaningful human control in different architectures.
Evaluate the social, doctrinal and training dimension of autonomy.
Produce an ethical assessment of an autonomous land system.
Who it's for
- Land robotics engineer who wants to specialise in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems.
- Functional safety engineer who wants to specialise in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems.
- Technology ethics analyst who wants to specialise in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems.
- Legal adviser in international humanitarian law who wants to specialise in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems.
- Researcher in autonomous systems who wants to specialise in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems.
- Verification and validation engineer who wants to specialise in Ethics of Autonomy in Land Systems.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the defence industry.
What you'll work with
- Additional Protocol I, Art. 36 (new weapons review)
- Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
- US Department of Defense Directive 3000.09 (autonomy in weapon systems)
- NATO Principles for the Responsible Use of AI (2021)
- IEEE 7000-2021 (system design with ethical considerations)
- ISO 21448 (safety of the intended functionality, SOTIF)
- UL 4600 (safety of autonomous products)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Classification of unmanned ground vehicles1.2Explosive ordnance disposal and reconnaissance robots1.3Logistics mules and casualty evacuation1.4Automated perimeter surveillance1.5Automated border surveillance towers1.6Navigation in unstructured terrain1.7Perception with LiDAR, radar and vision1.8European programmes such as iMUGS1.9Differences between land, air and naval domains1.10Case study: analysis of an autonomous logistics vehicle
2.1Proximity to the civilian population2.2Distinction in urban environments2.3Recognition of surrender and persons hors de combat2.4Protection of the wounded and medical personnel2.5Use at borders and in migration2.6Policing and internal use of armed robots2.7Damage to infrastructure and the environment2.8Responsibility of land command2.9Local perception and social acceptance2.10Workshop: civilian interaction scenario at a checkpoint
3.1Ethics by design in robotics3.2Value-sensitive design applied to UGVs3.3Built-in operational constraints3.4Ethical governor: Arkin's academic proposals3.5Criticisms of computational ethics3.6Explainability of navigation decisions3.7Limits of target selection functions3.8Interruption and remote control3.9Interface design for operators3.10Practice: specification of ethical constraints for a UGV
4.1IHL and Article 36 review4.2IEEE 7000 and 7001 transparency standards4.3ISO 13482 and service robots4.4ISO/IEC 23894 AI risk management4.5Testing in representative environments4.6Bias assessment in perception4.7Cybersecurity of land vehicles4.8Audits and data records4.9NATO and EU principles4.10Laboratory: bias assessment of a person detector
5.1UGV employment doctrine5.2Ethical training of operators5.3Trust and technological dependence5.4Impact on the military profession5.5Public opinion and media debate5.6Role of universities and research5.7Humanitarian organisations and their position5.8Accountability and transparency5.9Future scenarios5.10Case study: analysis of the debate on armed police robots
6.1Selection of the land system6.2Operating environment and affected population6.3Autonomous functions and level of control6.4Ethical analysis of scenarios6.5Legal and regulatory analysis6.6Ethical design requirements6.7Test and audit plan6.8Doctrine and training recommendations6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded lectures and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetable: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it easy to combine with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is ROS 2, Gazebo, MATLAB/Simulink, Python, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied through real simulation procedures for land robotics scenarios, autonomy case analysis and design reviews with ethical criteria. Assessment is continuous 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.
Characterise land robotic systems and their levels of autonomy.
Analyse the specific ethical challenges of the land environment.
Apply ethical design methodologies to autonomous systems.
Interpret the regulations and legal review processes for new systems.
Assess meaningful human control in different architectures.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow technical regulatory reading.
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 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours a week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You will work with ROS 2, Gazebo, MATLAB/Simulink, Python. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
A SEIUM diploma 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 higher-level programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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