Diploma in Ethics of Military Cryptography
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in the ethics of military cryptography. 8 modules covering cryptography and its ethical dimension, regulation and export control, exceptional access, cryptanalysis and interception, post-quantum cryptography, key management and trust, and professional responsibility, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Ethics of Military Cryptography — studying from New Zealand
New Zealand's defence engineering sector is centred on the New Zealand Defence Force, which operates land, sea and air capabilities, with major bases at Linton and Burnham. Defence procurement and sustainment are managed through the Ministry of Defence, and local firms support maintenance, communications and vehicle systems. Land systems engineering is closely linked to the country's agricultural and forestry sectors, where ruggedised vehicles and equipment are developed and maintained.
Fees for New Zealand: NZ$2,550 (New Zealand dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in New Zealand
Typical roles
Questions from New Zealand
How is defence and military engineering recognised in New Zealand?
Engineering registration is handled by Engineering New Zealand, and defence procurement and security clearances are managed through the New Zealand Defence Force and government procurement processes. Security clearance requirements can matter more than academic credentials for some roles. SEIUM is a private institute, and its qualifications are not accredited by a national body, so recognition rests with the employer.
What defence and land systems employers operate in New Zealand?
Opportunities arise with the New Zealand Defence Force, Defence Technology Agency, defence industry suppliers and engineering firms serving land systems and vehicles. Many roles require citizenship or security clearance. A private online qualification may support an application, but it does not guarantee a position, and clearance and experience usually weigh more heavily.
Is it possible to study from New Zealand without a visa, and can my employer pay?
Yes, programmes are 100% online and taught in English, so no student visa is needed to study from home. Each includes an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Specialist courses take 300 hours, diplomas 800 and master's 1,900, so plan your workload carefully.
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 cryptographic fundamentals and their ethical dimension.
Analyse the regulation and export control of encryption.
Assess the debate on exceptional access and backdoors.
Evaluate the proportionality of communications interception.
Plan an ethical transition to post-quantum cryptography.
Manage keys and trust responsibly.
Apply principles of professional responsibility in cryptography.
Who it's for
- Cryptography specialists.
- Cybersecurity policy advisers.
- Information security managers.
- Export compliance analysts.
- Technology ethics researchers.
- Privacy consultants.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the defence sector.
What you'll work with
- Regulation (EU) 2021/821 (dual-use items)
- Wassenaar Arrangement, Category 5 Part 2 (information security export controls)
- FIPS 140-3 (security requirements for cryptographic modules)
- FIPS 203 (ML-KEM)
- Organic Law 2/2002 (prior judicial oversight of the CNI)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation)
- European Convention on Human Rights, Article 8 (right to private life)
- OpenSSL
- CrypTool 2
- SageMath
- Wireshark
8 modules
1.1History of military cryptography1.2Enigma and the ethics of secrecy1.3Symmetric and asymmetric encryption1.4Hash functions and digital signatures1.5Key exchange protocols1.6Cryptography as a public good1.7Dual use of cryptography1.8Conflicting values: security and privacy1.9Ethics of state secrecy1.10Case study: analysis of the Crypto AG case
2.1The crypto wars of the 1990s2.2Wassenaar Arrangement and Category 5 Part 22.3EU dual-use regulation2.4Export controls on encryption2.5CCN-approved products2.6CPSTIC catalogue2.7NIST standards and FIPS 140-32.8National algorithms and sovereignty2.9Product certification2.10Workshop: classification of an encryption product
3.1The lawful access debate3.2The Clipper Chip case3.3The Apple v. FBI case3.4Dual_EC_DRBG and trust3.5Key escrow3.6Technical risks of exceptional access3.7EU proposals on encryption3.8Fundamental rights at stake3.9Civil society positions3.10Case study: debate on the CSAM regulation
4.1Fundamentals of cryptanalysis4.2Signals intelligence and legality4.3Judicial oversight of interception4.4The Snowden revelations4.5Oversight of intelligence services4.6Proportionality and necessity4.7Organic Law 2/2002 on oversight of the CNI4.8ECtHR case law4.9State vulnerability management4.10Practical exercise: proportionality assessment of a measure
5.1The quantum computing threat5.2Shor's algorithm5.3NIST post-quantum standardisation5.4ML-KEM and ML-DSA5.5Cryptographic migration5.6Harvest now, decrypt later risk5.7Crypto-agility5.8Quantum key distribution5.9Ethics of the transition5.10Lab: cryptographic inventory of a system
6.1Public key infrastructures6.2Key life-cycle management6.3Hardware security modules6.4Trust in suppliers6.5Cryptographic supply chain6.6Certificate transparency6.7Allied interoperability6.8Accountability for key compromises6.9Auditing cryptographic systems6.10Case study: certificate authority compromise incident
7.1Codes of ethics in cybersecurity7.2Responsible vulnerability disclosure7.3Academic research and restrictions7.4The cryptographer's conscientious objection7.5Transparency and secrecy7.6Education and the open community7.7Human rights and technology7.8European cybersecurity policies7.9The future of regulation7.10Workshop: responsible disclosure policy
8.1Selection of the case study8.2Technical context8.3Legal framework8.4Stakeholders8.5Ethical analysis8.6Evaluation of alternatives8.7Recommendations8.8Conclusions8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
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 the programme fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. You work with OpenSSL, CrypTool 2, SageMath and Wireshark, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: cryptographic inventories of systems, structured debates on encryption policy and analysis of historical cases. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: Regulation (EU) 2021/821, Wassenaar Arrangement, Category 5 Part 2, FIPS 140-3, FIPS 203, Organic Law 2/2002, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and European Convention on Human Rights, Article 8.
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. No university degree 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 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 OpenSSL, CrypTool 2, SageMath and Wireshark, 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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