Course in Life Cycle Assessment of Transport Infrastructure
Online course of 300 hours in life cycle assessment (LCA) of transport infrastructure, with 6 modules covering the ISO 14040/14044 framework, life cycle inventory, impact assessment, application to roads, railways and bridges, and decision-making, with an assigned technical tutor.
Course in Life Cycle Assessment of Transport Infrastructure — studying from Malta
Malta's civil engineering sector is active, driven by ongoing construction, infrastructure upgrades, coastal works and urban regeneration projects across the islands. Demand for civil engineers is closely linked to public works, land development and the modernisation of transport networks. Smart city initiatives, including digital mapping, traffic management and sustainable urban planning, are increasingly relevant. Engineers typically find employment with contractors, consultancies, government departments and utility providers managing infrastructure in a densely populated environment.
Fees for Malta: €448 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Malta
Typical roles
Questions from Malta
Which Maltese bodies regulate civil engineering and related professional practice?
The Chamber of Engineers (KSU) regulates the use of the title 'engineer' in Malta under the Engineering Profession Act. Planning and development matters fall under the Planning Authority, and public works and transport infrastructure involve government agencies including Transport Malta. A SEIUM qualification does not itself grant a regulated title; recognition is decided by employers or the relevant body.
What employers in Malta would value civil, rail or smart city engineering skills?
Malta's construction, infrastructure, consultancy and public sector firms are the main employers, along with transport and utilities bodies. Smart city and digital infrastructure work is growing in some areas. Employers typically look for chartered-level experience and licensing, so a private qualification should be seen as supporting your professional development rather than a substitute for those requirements.
How can I study this while working on site, and what support is there?
The programme is delivered entirely online in English, so you can study from anywhere in Malta without a student visa. Each student has an assigned technical tutor, and the course ends with a final project. Time commitment depends on the programme length, from 300 to 1,900 hours. Ask about instalment payments and employer sponsorship to help manage 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
Define the goal, scope and functional unit of an infrastructure LCA.
Build life cycle inventories from project quantities and databases.
Assess environmental impacts using recognised characterisation methods.
Apply EN 17472 to roads, bridges and railway tracks.
Compare design and construction alternatives using life cycle indicators.
Interpret results with sensitivity and uncertainty analysis.
Communicate LCA results for decision-making and green public procurement.
Who it's for
- Life cycle analysts who want to specialise in life cycle assessment of transport infrastructure.
- Infrastructure sustainability consultants who want to specialise in life cycle assessment of transport infrastructure.
- Carbon engineers on transport projects who want to specialise in life cycle assessment of transport infrastructure.
- Environmental technicians at construction companies who want to specialise in life cycle assessment of transport infrastructure.
- Green public procurement managers who want to specialise in life cycle assessment of transport infrastructure.
- Environmental product declaration assessors who want to specialise in life cycle assessment of transport infrastructure.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to move into transport infrastructure.
What you'll work with
- ISO 14040 (LCA principles and framework)
- ISO 14044 (LCA requirements and guidelines)
- EN 17472 (sustainability of civil engineering works)
- EN 15804+A2 (environmental product declarations for construction products)
- ISO 14067 (carbon footprint of products)
- PAS 2080 (carbon management in infrastructure)
- ISO 21930 (EPDs for construction products)
- SimaPro
- openLCA
- Sphera LCA for Experts (GaBi)
- ecoinvent database
- Advanced Excel
6 modules
1.1ISO 14040 and ISO 140441.2LCA phases and their iteration1.3Goal and scope in infrastructure1.4Functional unit in transport projects1.5System boundaries and included processes1.6Cut-off and allocation rules1.7Data quality and representativeness1.8Critical review of the study1.9Environmental product declarations1.10Workshop: defining goal and scope
2.1Construction materials and their data2.2Transport of materials and machinery2.3Site consumption and energy2.4Maintenance and replacement2.5Use phase: traffic and upkeep2.6End of life: demolition and recycling2.7Inventory databases2.8Collecting primary data2.9Traceability and documentation2.10Laboratory: inventory of a section
3.1Common impact categories3.2Global warming potential3.3Acidification, eutrophication and ozone3.4Resource and water depletion3.5Characterisation methods3.6Normalisation and weighting3.7Interpreting results3.8Contribution analysis and hotspots3.9Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis3.10Laboratory: assessment of a bridge
4.1Roads: pavements and layers4.2Railways: track and electrification4.3Bridges and special structures4.4Tunnels and earthworks4.5Comparing alignment alternatives4.6Embodied carbon versus operational carbon4.7Service life and maintenance scenarios4.8Low-footprint materials4.9Circular economy on site4.10Case study: comparing two alternatives
5.1Integrating LCA into the project5.2Environmental criteria in tendering5.3Project and organisational carbon footprint5.4Third-party verification5.5Communication to clients and society5.6Risk of greenwashing5.7Public procurement requirements5.8Costs and benefits of reducing impact5.9Monitoring indicators on site5.10Workshop: executive report
6.1Choosing the infrastructure and scope6.2Complete inventory with sources6.3Impact assessment6.4Hotspot analysis6.5Proposing improvement alternatives6.6Quantifying the savings6.7Uncertainty analysis6.8Report in accordance with ISO 140446.9Presentation of results6.10Review with the tutor
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 the intake, so it can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is SimaPro, openLCA, Sphera LCA for Experts (GaBi), the ecoinvent database and advanced Excel, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures for LCA studies on real road and railway projects, comparison of pavement and alignment alternatives and critical review of environmental product declarations. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: ISO 14040, ISO 14044, EN 17472, EN 15804+A2, ISO 14067, PAS 2080, ISO 21930.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No previous qualification 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.
Frequently asked questions
The course totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You will work with SimaPro, openLCA, Sphera LCA for Experts (GaBi), the ecoinvent database and advanced Excel. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and your tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, 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.
No previous qualification is required. You need an internet connection, a computer capable of running the programme 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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