Diploma in Reliability and Safety Methods
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in reliability and safety methods. 8 modules covering applied probability, life data analysis, FMEA/FMECA, fault trees and system models, functional safety, reliability testing and growth, and reliability programme management, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Reliability and Safety Methods — 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$1,770 (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
Master the probabilistic foundations of reliability.
Apply statistical distributions to life data analysis.
Develop FMEA and FMECA analyses and fault trees.
Model systems using reliability block diagrams and Markov chains.
Integrate functional safety into the system life cycle.
Design reliability growth programmes and accelerated tests.
Prepare reliability and safety reports to support decision-making.
Who it's for
- Reliability engineers.
- System safety engineers.
- RAMS analysts.
- Functional safety engineers.
- Product quality managers.
- Logistics support engineers.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the defence sector.
What you'll work with
- IEC 61508 (functional safety)
- IEC 60812 (failure modes and effects analysis, FMEA)
- IEC 61025 (fault tree analysis)
- MIL-STD-882E (system safety)
- IEC 61078 (reliability block diagrams)
- MIL-HDBK-217F (electronic reliability prediction)
- IEC 61703 (mathematical expressions for reliability and availability)
- ReliaSoft Weibull++
- Isograph Reliability Workbench
- Minitab
- Python (reliability)
8 modules
1.1Reliability function and failure rate1.2The bathtub curve1.3MTBF, MTTF and MTTR1.4Exponential and Weibull distributions1.5Lognormal and gamma distributions1.6Reliability of components in series and parallel1.7Confidence intervals1.8Censored data1.9Reliability of k-out-of-n systems1.10Practical exercise: MTBF calculation with real data
2.1Collection of field failure data2.2Probability plots2.3Maximum likelihood estimation2.4Two- and three-parameter Weibull analysis2.5Competing risks models2.6Warranty analysis2.7Degradation data2.8Repairable systems and Poisson processes2.9Goodness of fit and model selection2.10Lab: Weibull analysis with specialist software
3.1Design and process FMEA3.2Criticality and risk priority number3.3FMECA according to IEC 608123.4Preliminary hazard analysis3.5HAZOP applied to systems3.6Common cause analysis3.7Software effects analysis3.8Integration with design requirements3.9System and interface hazard analysis3.10Case study: FMECA of a power subsystem
4.1Construction of fault trees4.2Minimal cut sets4.3Quantification of fault trees4.4Event trees4.5Reliability block diagrams4.6Markov chains and availability4.7Bayesian networks in reliability4.8Monte Carlo simulation4.9Component importance analysis4.10Practical exercise: fault tree of an undesired event
5.1IEC 61508 safety life cycle5.2SIL integrity levels5.3Architectures and fault tolerance5.4Diagnostic coverage5.5Systematic and random failures5.6Safety software5.7System safety according to MIL-STD-882E5.8Safety arguments5.9Human reliability and HRA techniques5.10Workshop: SIL allocation to safety functions
6.1Accelerated life testing6.2Arrhenius and inverse power law models6.3HALT and HASS6.4Duane and Crow-AMSAA reliability growth6.5Demonstration testing6.6Prediction with MIL-HDBK-217F6.7Physics of failure6.8Environmental testing6.9Stress-strength models6.10Lab: design of an accelerated test
7.1Reliability and maintainability plan7.2FRACAS: failure reporting and corrective action7.3Maintainability and repair times7.4Reliability-centred maintenance7.5Life cycle cost7.6Supplier and component management7.7In-service reliability indicators7.8Risk communication7.9Failure rate databases7.10Case study: setting up a FRACAS system
8.1Description of the system analysed8.2Collection of failure data8.3Statistical life analysis8.4FMECA of the system8.5Fault tree of the critical event8.6Availability assessment8.7Proposal of design improvements8.8Reliability report8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online learning 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. The working software is ReliaSoft Weibull++, Isograph Reliability Workbench, Minitab and Python (reliability), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: Weibull analysis of field failure data, preparation of an FMECA for a subsystem and availability calculation for a redundant architecture. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final project.
Standards covered: IEC 61508, IEC 60812, IEC 61025, MIL-STD-882E, IEC 61078, MIL-HDBK-217F, IEC 61703.
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 ReliaSoft Weibull++, Isograph Reliability Workbench, Minitab and Python (reliability), 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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