Postgraduate Diploma in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models
Online 800 h Postgraduate Diploma in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models. 8 modules covering Directive 2003/88/EC (organisation of working time), Regulation (EU) 83/2014 (flight time limitations) and SAFTE-FAST. Dedicated tutor and open enrolment.
Postgraduate Diploma in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models — studying from Malta
Malta's healthcare system relies on public hospitals alongside a growing private sector, creating demand for engineers in medical devices, clinical technology and facilities. The Medicines Authority and the Health Directorate set regulatory expectations that shape work on medical equipment. Biomechanics and wearable technology are emerging interests, particularly in rehabilitation, sports science and occupational safety. Professionals in this area often collaborate with clinicians, distributors and regulators to ensure devices meet national and European requirements.
Fees for Malta: €1,790 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Malta
Typical roles
Questions from Malta
Is this programme recognised by a professional body in Malta for engineers working in health, biomechanics or wearables?
SEIUM Institute's qualifications are its own private qualifications. They are not official Maltese state degrees and are not accredited by any national body. In Malta, engineering titles are regulated through the Malta Council for Professions and the Chamber of Engineers, and medical devices fall under the Medicines Authority. Recognition of a private qualification is decided by employers or the relevant body, so check with them before enrolling.
Will employers in Malta value this training for roles in wearables or operational safety?
Employers in Malta's health technology, manufacturing and safety-related sectors decide for themselves how much weight to give a private online qualification. Many weigh practical experience and a final project heavily. SEIUM's programmes include a final project, but whether it helps your career in Malta depends on your employer's view. Speaking with prospective employers beforehand is the most reliable way to find out.
Can I study this alongside a full-time job in Malta, and is employer funding possible?
The programmes are 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from home without a student visa. Master's programmes are 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, so plan your weekly time accordingly. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Each student gets an assigned technical tutor for support.
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 physiology of sleep, circadian rhythms and fatigue.
Measure fatigue using actigraphy, vigilance tests and scales.
Apply biomathematical fatigue models to work rosters.
Design shift systems using ergonomic criteria.
Formulate optimisation models for shift scheduling.
Interpret sectoral regulations on working and rest times.
Implement a fatigue risk management system.
Who it's for
- Shift planner wishing to specialise in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models.
- Fatigue risk management specialist wishing to specialise in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models.
- Operational research analyst wishing to specialise in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models.
- Occupational prevention technician in shift work wishing to specialise in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models.
- Crew scheduling manager wishing to specialise in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models.
- Work organisation consultant wishing to specialise in Shift Scheduling and Fatigue Models.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter aviation.
What you'll work with
- Directive 2003/88/EC (organisation of working time)
- Regulation (EU) 83/2014 (flight time limitations)
- Regulation (EC) 561/2006 (driving and rest times)
- ICAO Doc 9966 (fatigue risk management, FRMS)
- API RP 755 (fatigue risk management in the process industry)
- Royal Legislative Decree 2/2015 (Spanish Workers' Statute)
8 modules · 800 h
1.1Circadian Rhythms and the Suprachiasmatic nucleus 1.2 Sleep Homeostasis: Borbély's Two-Process Model 1.3 Sleep Architecture and Stages 1.4 Acute Sleep Deprivation and Chronic Sleep Debt 1.5 Sleep Inertia 1.6 Mental Fatigue versus Physical Fatigue 1.7 Chronotypes and Individual Differences 1.8 Effects of Fatigue on Performance 1.9 Fatigue and Accidents 1.10 Case Study: Fatigue Analysis in the Exxon Valdez Accident
2.1Karolinska Sleepiness Scale2.2Samn-Perelli scale2.3Psychomotor vigilance test (PVT)2.4Actigraphy and sleep diaries2.5Polysomnography and its uses2.6Ocular biomarkers and PERCLOS2.7Fatigue detection systems in vehicles2.8Commercial wearables: validity2.9Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaires2.10Laboratory: analysis of one week of actigraphy data
- kerstedt's three-process model
3.2SAFTE model and the FAST tool3.3FAID model and its scores3.4Boeing Alertness Model3.5Model calibration and validation3.6Limitations of individual prediction3.7Using models in planning3.8Uncertainty and sensitivity3.9Comparison of commercial models3.10Practice: assessing a roster with a fatigue model
4.1Fixed, rotating and continuous-cover shifts4.2Forward and backward rotation4.3Shift duration: 8 versus 12 hours4.4Start time of the morning shift4.5Number of consecutive night shifts4.6Breaks within shifts and napping4.7Recovery time between shifts4.8INSST recommendations on shift work4.9Worker participation in design4.10Workshop: designing a 24/7 roster with five teams
5.1Formulating the shift scheduling problem5.2Integer linear programming5.3Legal and collective agreement constraints5.4Metaheuristics: tabu search and genetic algorithms5.5Fatigue constraints in the model5.6Fairness and staff preferences5.7Planning software: OR-Tools5.8Crew scheduling in transport5.9Rescheduling after absences and incidents5.10Laboratory: shift model with OR-Tools and fatigue constraints
6.1Directive 2003/88/EC on working time6.2Workers' Statute and night work6.3Flight time limitations: EASA ORO.FTL6.4Driving times: Regulation (EC) 561/20066.5Rail and maritime regulations: STCW6.6Residents and healthcare staff6.7Air traffic controllers and control room operators6.8Case law on working time recording6.9Health surveillance in night work6.10Case study: verifying FTL compliance in a rotation
7.1FRMS according to ICAO7.2Fatigue policy and responsibilities7.3Fatigue reporting and just culture7.4Fatigue risk indicators7.5Controls: naps, light and caffeine7.6Sleep hygiene training7.7Assessing FRMS effectiveness7.8Integration with the safety management system7.9Fatigue audits7.10Practice: fatigue risk analysis of a night service
8.1Characterising the activity and demand8.2Analysis of the current roster8.3Assessment with a biomathematical model8.4Formulating the optimisation model8.5Generating alternative rosters8.6Fatigue risk comparison8.7Proposal of controls and FRMS8.8Validation with workers8.9Report and presentation8.10Final 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. 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 standard and applied exercises. The software used is SAFTE-FAST, FAID (InterDynamics), Python (OR-Tools), Gurobi, advanced Excel, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case work is based on real procedures for analysing actual shift rosters, actigraphy studies and sleepiness scales, and on optimisation of rotations under regulatory constraints. Assessment is continuous across modules, 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 physiology of sleep, circadian rhythms and fatigue.
Measure fatigue using actigraphy, vigilance tests and scales.
Apply biomathematical fatigue models to work rosters.
Design shift systems using ergonomic criteria.
Formulate optimisation models for shift scheduling.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient Spanish to follow technical regulatory texts.
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, spread over 6 to 8 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours a week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You will work with SAFTE-FAST, FAID (InterDynamics), Python (OR-Tools), Gurobi and advanced Excel. 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 integrating 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 programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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