Seismic Risk in Urban Infrastructure Course
300-hour online course in seismic risk in urban infrastructure. 6 modules covering EN 1998 (Eurocode 8, design of earthquake-resistant structures), NCSE-02 (Spanish Seismic Construction Standard) and OpenQuake. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Seismic Risk in Urban Infrastructure Course — studying from Malta
Insurance is one of Malta's established financial sectors, with a regulatory framework that has attracted captive insurers, reinsurers and specialist underwriters. This creates demand for professionals who can model risk, analyse claims data and support actuarial functions. Engineers with statistical skills are valued in pricing, reserving and risk management. Employers include licensed insurers, brokers, consultancies and the regulator itself, where quantitative and technical expertise is increasingly important.
Fees for Malta: €743 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Malta
Typical roles
Questions from Malta
Which professional bodies in Malta relate to insurance, risk and actuarial work, and does SEIUM's qualification fit?
SEIUM Institute's qualifications are private qualifications, not official Maltese state degrees, and they are not accredited by any national body. In Malta, insurance and financial services are supervised by the Malta Financial Services Authority, and professional actuarial qualifications are set by international bodies that Maltese firms commonly follow. Whether SEIUM's training is recognised is for employers or the relevant body to decide.
What roles in Malta might this training support in insurance or risk management?
Malta has a significant insurance, reinsurance and financial services sector, and firms there employ people in risk analysis, data and modelling roles. Whether a private engineering-focused qualification counts for a given role depends on the employer's requirements and the qualifications they already expect. Reviewing current job descriptions in Malta and asking employers directly will show how your training would be viewed.
How much time does this need each week, and what language level is required?
Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, delivered fully online. Spread over the programme length, this suits people working full-time if they set a steady weekly schedule. Teaching is in English, so you should be comfortable reading and writing technical English. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible.
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 seismic hazard in urban environments.
Assess the vulnerability of the built stock and infrastructure.
Estimate expected losses using fragility curves and scenarios.
Propose strategies for reinforcement and risk reduction.
Analyse insurance mechanisms and the financing of seismic risk.
Apply the Sendai Framework to urban planning.
Prepare a post-earthquake recovery plan for a city.
Who it's for
- Seismic engineer who wants to specialise in Seismic risk in urban infrastructure.
- Catastrophe model analyst who wants to specialise in Seismic risk in urban infrastructure.
- Civil protection technician who wants to specialise in Seismic risk in urban infrastructure.
- Resilience urban planner who wants to specialise in Seismic risk in urban infrastructure.
- Catastrophe risk underwriter who wants to specialise in Seismic risk in urban infrastructure.
- Disaster risk reduction consultant who wants to specialise in Seismic risk in urban infrastructure.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter local and regional administration.
What you'll work with
- EN 1998 (Eurocode 8, design of earthquake-resistant structures)
- NCSE-02 (Spanish Seismic Construction Standard)
- Basic Directive for Civil Protection Planning for Seismic Risk
- Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
- Royal Decree 300/2004 (Regulation on Extraordinary Risk Insurance)
- FEMA P-58 (seismic performance assessment of buildings)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Origin of earthquakes and magnitudes1.2Hazard maps and how to read them1.3Design acceleration and spectra1.4Site effect and amplification1.5Liquefaction and landslides1.6Aftershocks and their cumulative effect1.7Field vocabulary and acronyms1.8Seismic catalogues and their quality1.9Uncertainty in estimation1.10Exercise: characterising the hazard of a city
2.1Construction typologies and their behaviour2.2Buildings predating seismic codes2.3Non-structural elements and their damage2.4Infrastructure and service networks2.5Historic heritage and its fragility2.6Fragility and damage curves2.7Inventory of the built stock2.8Cadastral data and its use2.9Rapid vulnerability inspection2.10Practice: classifying a neighbourhood
3.1Seismic risk models3.2Exposure, hazard and vulnerability3.3Direct and indirect losses3.4Interruption of activity and services3.5Casualties and their estimation3.6Deterministic and probabilistic scenarios3.7Loss exceedance curves3.8Uncertainty and its communication3.9Validation with past events3.10Practice: loss scenario for a city
4.1Structural reinforcement of the existing stock4.2Seismic codes and their application4.3Urban planning and land use4.4Protection of critical infrastructure4.5Early warning systems4.6Emergency plans and drills4.7Continuity of essential services4.8Education and risk culture4.9Cost and benefit of measures4.10Practice: prioritised reduction plan
5.1Seismic risk coverage5.2Public compensation systems5.3Accumulation and catastrophe reinsurance5.4Transfer to the capital markets5.5Protection gap5.6Managing a mass claims event5.7Loss adjustment after an earthquake5.8Financing reconstruction5.9Reconstruction with improvement5.10Practice: designing a coverage scheme
6.1Choice of city and scope6.2Hazard characterisation6.3Inventory and vulnerability of the stock6.4Loss scenario6.5Risk reduction plan6.6Transfer and financing scheme6.7Response and recovery plan6.8Monitoring indicators6.9Study report6.10Defence of the project
How you'll learn
100 % online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetable: 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 working software is OpenQuake, SAP2000, QGIS, Hazus (FEMA), Python (NumPy), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real procedures for estimating seismic losses in a neighbourhood and vulnerability analysis of existing buildings. 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 seismic hazard in urban environments.
Assess the vulnerability of the built stock and infrastructure.
Estimate expected losses using fragility curves and scenarios.
Propose strategies for reinforcement and risk reduction.
Analyse insurance mechanisms and the financing of seismic risk.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree 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 between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with OpenQuake, SAP2000, QGIS, Hazus (FEMA), Python (NumPy). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An own diploma from SEIUM on 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 credited towards the higher-level programme. Check the credit recognition policy when you enrol.
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