Diploma in Ethics in Critical PNT Applications
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in ethics in critical PNT applications. 8 modules covering societal dependence on PNT, ethics of critical infrastructure, privacy and location, the ethical and legal dimension of interference, trust and liability, PNT in autonomous systems, and governance and public policy, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Ethics in Critical PNT Applications — 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: €1,490 (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
Analyse the social and economic dependence on PNT services.
Apply ethical principles to critical navigation infrastructure.
Assess privacy risks in location data.
Understand the legal regime governing interference.
Define the liabilities of manufacturers and service providers.
Analyse the use of PNT in autonomous systems.
Propose public policies for PNT resilience.
Who it's for
- PNT policy consultants.
- Technology ethics specialists.
- Critical infrastructure analysts.
- Data protection officers dealing with location data.
- Navigation engineers.
- Regulatory advisers.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the telecommunications sector.
What you'll work with
- Regulation (EU) 2021/696 (Union Space Programme, including Galileo)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – GDPR (protection of personal data)
- Spanish General Telecommunications Act 11/2022 (spectrum use and interference regime)
- ITU Radio Regulations (international use of the radio spectrum)
- US Executive Order 13905 (strengthening national resilience through responsible use of PNT services)
- Directive (EU) 2022/2557 – CER (resilience of critical entities)
- Regulation (EU) 2015/758 – eCall (in-vehicle emergency call system)
- RTKLIB
- GNSS-SDR
- MATLAB
- QGIS
8 modules
1.1GNSS-dependent infrastructure1.2Synchronisation in telecommunications, energy and finance1.3Aviation and maritime navigation1.4Emergency services and caller location1.5Precision agriculture1.6Autonomous vehicles1.7Cost of outages1.8Systemic vulnerabilities1.9Values at stake1.10Case study: map of a country’s PNT dependencies
2.1PNT as a global public good2.2Equity of access2.3Responsibility of provider States2.4Ethics of technological risk2.5Resilience as a duty2.6Transparency about limitations2.7The precautionary principle2.8Distributive justice2.9Intergenerational responsibility2.10Workshop: analysis of conflicting values
3.1Precise location data3.2GDPR and location3.3The eCall system3.4Tracking of people and vehicles3.5Trajectory aggregation3.6Trajectory anonymisation3.7Geolocation in the workplace3.8Surveillance and civil liberties3.9Informed consent3.10Practical exercise: DPIA of a geolocation system
4.1Illegal use of jammers4.2The Spanish General Telecommunications Act4.3ITU Radio Regulations4.4Harm to third parties4.5Interference affecting civil aviation4.6Civil and criminal liability4.7Interference reporting4.8Penalty regime4.9Ethics of vulnerability research4.10Case study: analysis of an interference incident at an airport
5.1OSNMA authentication5.2Trust in the signal5.3Equipment certification5.4Manufacturer liability5.5Service provider liability5.6Galileo service definition documents5.7Insurance and warranties5.8Contractual clauses5.9Failure management5.10Workshop: allocation of liability after a failure
6.1Autonomous road vehicles6.2Drones6.3Autonomous ships6.4Railways and ERTMS6.5Position integrity6.6Functional safety6.7Automated decision-making6.8Explainability6.9Accountability6.10Laboratory: integrity analysis with RTKLIB
7.1The Union Space Programme7.2Regulation (EU) 2021/6967.3US Executive Order 139057.4National PNT strategies7.5Competent authorities7.6International cooperation7.7Sector-specific regulations7.8Contingency plans7.9Public risk communication7.10Case study: sector contingency plan
8.1Selection of the critical application8.2Dependency map8.3Ethical and privacy risks8.4Legal analysis8.5Resilience measures8.6Liability framework8.7Policy recommendations8.8Conclusions8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
A 100% online programme 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 it can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is RTKLIB, GNSS-SDR, MATLAB and QGIS, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: PNT dependency maps of critical sectors, data protection impact assessments and integrity analysis of position solutions. Assessment is continuous for each module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: Regulation (EU) 2021/696, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Spanish General Telecommunications Act 11/2022, ITU Radio Regulations, US Executive Order 13905, Directive (EU) 2022/2557 (CER) and Regulation (EU) 2015/758 (eCall).
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
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. A university degree is not 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 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 RTKLIB, GNSS-SDR, MATLAB and QGIS, 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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