Course in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing
300-hour online course in ethics in academic impact testing. 6 modules covering ISO 148-1 (Charpy notched-bar impact test), ASTM E23 (notched-specimen impact tests) and LS-DYNA. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Course in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing — studying from Malta
Malta's defence sector is comparatively small, reflecting the country's neutrality and modest armed forces. Activity centres on the Armed Forces of Malta, maritime surveillance, border security and the associated technical support. Engineering roles are mostly found in equipment maintenance, communications, infrastructure and government procurement rather than large-scale defence manufacturing. Professionals may find opportunities through public service and contractors supplying the armed forces and related agencies, where reliability and compliance with national procurement rules are important.
Fees for Malta: €644 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Malta
Typical roles
Questions from Malta
Which bodies regulate defence and military engineering work in Malta?
Malta's Armed Forces and the Ministry responsible for defence oversee military engineering and procurement. General engineering practice is regulated by the Chamber of Engineers (KSU) under the Engineering Profession Act. Export and dual-use controls follow EU and national rules. A SEIUM qualification is private and not accredited, so any recognition depends on employers or the relevant authority.
What career paths exist in Malta for land systems and defence engineering?
Opportunities in Malta are limited and mostly within government, the Armed Forces and their suppliers, with more substantial defence industry work typically found abroad. Many roles require security clearance and specific experience. A private qualification can support your profile, but you should expect employers to focus on experience and clearance eligibility.
How do I study this from Malta, and what should I consider about workload and funding?
The programme is delivered fully online in English, with an assigned technical tutor and a final project. You do not need a visa to study from home in Malta. Durations range from 300 to 1,900 hours, so plan time alongside any work commitments. Ask about instalment payments and whether employer sponsorship is available.
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
Understand the fundamentals of impact testing and its reference standards.
Relate impact test results to the protection of people.
Assess the academic and social impact of research in this area.
Implement specific safety measures in the impact laboratory.
Identify dual-use applications and manage their responsible dissemination.
Validate numerical models honestly against experimental tests.
Design an impact research project with ethical safeguards.
Who it's for
- Impact testing engineer who wishes to specialise in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing.
- Materials dynamics researcher who wishes to specialise in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing.
- Explicit simulation engineer who wishes to specialise in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing.
- Laboratory safety manager who wishes to specialise in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing.
- Passive safety engineer who wishes to specialise in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing.
- Research project manager who wishes to specialise in Ethics in Academic Impact Testing.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the automotive industry.
What you'll work with
- ISO 148-1 (Charpy notched-bar impact test)
- ASTM E23 (notched-specimen impact tests)
- ASTM D7136 (drop-weight impact on composites)
- ISO/IEC 17025 (competence of testing laboratories)
- Law 31/1995 (occupational risk prevention)
- Regulation (EU) 2021/821 (control of dual-use items)
- European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (ALLEA, 2023)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Impact dynamics and strain rate1.2Absorbed energy and toughness1.3Charpy and Izod testing1.4Instrumented falling-mass impact1.5Hopkinson bar for high strain rates1.6Impact on crash structures1.7Instrumentation: accelerometers and high-speed camera1.8Explicit finite element simulation1.9Test-simulation correlation1.10Laboratory: analysis of a force-time curve
2.1Automotive crash tests and Euro NCAP2.2Anthropomorphic test devices and biofidelity2.3Injury criteria: HIC and others2.4Gender bias in dummies and standards2.5Helmet and protective equipment testing2.6Use of cadavers in research: ethical debate2.7Animal testing and Directive 2010/63/EU2.8The 3Rs principle in biomechanical testing2.9Human volunteers in low-energy testing2.10Case study: gender bias in crash dummies
3.1Bibliometric metrics and their limitations3.2DORA Declaration and responsible assessment3.3Pressure to publish and questionable practices3.4Salami publication of results3.5Over-interpretation of limited tests3.6Reproducibility in experimental mechanics3.7Open data and repositories3.8Peer review and conflicts of interest3.9Communicating results to industry3.10Workshop: evaluating an impact testing paper
4.1Hazards of drop towers and gas guns4.2Fragment containment and cabin shielding4.3Stored energy in pneumatic systems4.4Lockout and tagging procedures4.5Staff training and authorisation4.6Impulse noise and hearing protection4.7Maintenance of high-energy equipment4.8Emergency drills4.9Incident recording4.10Practice: risk analysis of a gas gun
5.1Impact testing in vehicle protection5.2STANAG 4569 standards: a protection approach5.3Protective research versus offensive research5.4Limits on publishing protection data5.5Defence funding and academic freedom5.6Ethical review of impact projects5.7Civilian use of results: transport and sport5.8Responsibility towards users of protective equipment5.9Institutional transparency5.10Case study: civil and military vehicle protection project
6.1Formulating the research question6.2Experimental and numerical design6.3Laboratory risk assessment6.4Ethical and dual-use considerations6.5Open data plan6.6Responsible publication strategy6.7Academic impact indicators6.8Transfer plan6.9Report and presentation6.10Final 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. No fixed timetable: the student progresses at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is LS-DYNA, Abaqus/Explicit, LabVIEW, Minitab, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real procedures from impact laboratories with pendulum and drop tower, numerical impact simulation, and review of scientific publications with impact results. 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.
Understand the fundamentals of impact testing and its reference standards.
Relate impact test results to the protection of people.
Assess the academic and social impact of research in this area.
Implement specific safety measures in the impact laboratory.
Identify dual-use applications and manage their responsible dissemination.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient 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 is 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with a full-time job.
The course works with LS-DYNA, Abaqus/Explicit, LabVIEW and Minitab. 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. This 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 in the advanced programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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