Master’s in Safety Case, RAMS and Certification
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in safety case, RAMS and certification: 12 modules covering system safety, hazard analysis, quantitative reliability, FMECA and maintainability, functional safety (IEC 61508, ISO 26262, DO-178C), safety case construction in GSN and CAE, aerospace, defence and cross-sector certification, cybersecurity and safety management, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Safety Case, RAMS and Certification — 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$11,700 (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
Apply the concepts of system safety and risk acceptance.
Carry out hazard analyses using complementary techniques.
Model system reliability quantitatively.
Allocate integrity levels according to sector standards.
Build safety cases with structured arguments.
Manage certification processes in different sectors.
Develop a complete safety case in the Master's Thesis.
Who it's for
- System safety engineers.
- RAMS engineers in defence, aerospace and rail.
- Certification specialists.
- Independent safety assessors.
- Functional safety engineers.
- Safety case consultants.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the defence sector.
What you'll work with
- IEC 61508 (functional safety of E/E/PE safety-related systems)
- MIL-STD-882E (US DoD system safety standard practice)
- DEF STAN 00-56 (UK MOD safety management requirements for defence systems)
- SAE ARP4754A (development of civil aircraft and systems)
- SAE ARP4761 (safety assessment process for civil airborne systems)
- EN 50126-1:2017 (railway RAMS specification and demonstration)
- ISO 26262 (road vehicle functional safety)
- RTCA DO-178C (airborne software assurance)
- Isograph Reliability Workbench
- Adelard ASCE
- Ansys medini analyze
- ReliaSoft BlockSim
- Cameo Systems Modeler
12 modules
1.1Hazard, risk and accident1.2Functional safety1.3Lessons from Therac-25, Ariane 5 and the Boeing 737 MAX1.4Safety life cycle1.5Sector standards1.6The ALARP principle1.7Risk acceptance criteria1.8Safety culture1.9Safety organisation1.10Case study: analysis of a technological accident
2.1Preliminary hazard analysis2.2HAZOP2.3Functional hazard analysis2.4System hazard analysis2.5STPA2.6Bowtie diagrams2.7What-if technique2.8Hazard log2.9Hazard management2.10Workshop: HAZOP of a control system
3.1Reliability distributions3.2Reliability block diagrams3.3Fault trees3.4Markov chains3.5Common cause failures3.6Reliability prediction3.7Failure data sources3.8Uncertainty3.9Importance analysis3.10Lab: fault tree with Reliability Workbench
4.1Design FMEA4.2Process FMEA4.3FMECA4.4Criticality analysis4.5Reliability-centred maintenance4.6Maintainability4.7Testability4.8Logistic support analysis4.9Integration with the hazard log4.10Practical exercise: FMECA of an actuator
5.1IEC 615085.2SIL levels5.3ISO 26262 and ASIL levels5.4EN 50128 and EN 501295.5DO-178C and DAL levels5.6SAE ARP4754A5.7SAE ARP47615.8Integrity allocation5.9Fault-tolerant architectures5.10Workshop: SIL allocation
6.1Definition of a safety case6.2Argument structure6.3GSN notation6.4CAE notation6.5Evidence6.6Argument patterns6.7Modular safety cases6.8Safety case review6.9Tools6.10Lab: safety case in GSN
7.1Software safety7.2Formal methods7.3Static analysis7.4Structural coverage7.5Systems with machine learning7.6SOTIF7.7Systems of systems7.8Emergent interactions7.9Safety of autonomy7.10Practical exercise: STPA analysis of an autonomous system
8.1The ARP4754A process8.2DO-178C software8.3DO-254 hardware8.4EMAR 218.5MIL-HDBK-516C8.6MIL-STD-882E8.7DEF STAN 00-568.8Certification authorities8.9Certification plans8.10Case study: safety plan for an avionics system
9.1EN 50126, EN 50128 and EN 501299.2Independent safety assessor9.3IEC 61513 in the nuclear sector9.4ISO 26262 in the automotive sector9.5UNECE Regulations R155 and R1569.6Medical devices9.7Process industry: IEC 615119.8Cross-sector comparison9.9Transfer of good practice9.10Workshop: comparison of sector requirements
10.1Safety-security co-engineering10.2IEC 6244310.3ISO/SAE 2143410.4RTCA DO-326A10.5Threat analysis10.6Interaction between hazards and threats10.7Cybersecurity arguments10.8Vulnerability management10.9Joint certification10.10Practical exercise: TARA of a subsystem
11.1Safety management systems11.2Safety audits11.3Independent assessment11.4Change management11.5Continuing airworthiness11.6Incident management11.7Lessons learned11.8Safety indicators11.9Continuous improvement11.10Case study: audit of a safety case
12.1System definition12.2Regulatory context12.3Hazard analysis12.4Reliability modelling12.5Integrity allocation12.6Building the safety case12.7Certification plan12.8Conclusions and future work12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
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: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so you can combine it with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Isograph Reliability Workbench, Adelard ASCE, Ansys medini analyze, ReliaSoft BlockSim and Cameo Systems Modeler, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real procedures from HAZOP and STPA hazard analyses, safety case construction in GSN and reliability modelling with fault trees. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: IEC 61508, MIL-STD-882E, DEF STAN 00-56, SAE ARP4754A, SAE ARP4761, EN 50126-1:2017, ISO 26262, RTCA DO-178C.
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
- A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- 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 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with Isograph Reliability Workbench, Adelard ASCE, Ansys medini analyze, ReliaSoft BlockSim and Cameo Systems Modeler, 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 Master's Thesis. 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 in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), 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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