Postgraduate Diploma in 2D Modelling and Early Warning
Online 800-hour Postgraduate Diploma in 2D Modelling and Early Warning. 8 modules covering Directive 2007/60/EC (assessment and management of flood risks), Royal Decree 903/2010 (assessment and management of flood risks) and Iber. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Postgraduate Diploma in 2D Modelling and Early Warning — studying from New Zealand
Civil engineering is one of New Zealand's largest engineering employers, driven by the need for earthquake-resilient infrastructure, roading, water and wastewater systems across a seismically active country. Major projects include Auckland's City Rail Link and Wellington's transport upgrades, with rail maintained largely by KiwiRail. Engineers work for consultancies, contractors and councils, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment administers the Building Act and related standards, while Waka Kotahi manages the national land transport network.
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
What is the recognition pathway for civil and rail engineers in New Zealand?
Engineering New Zealand administers Chartered Professional Engineer registration, which is the main recognised professional standard for civil engineers. Rail is regulated through the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of Transport. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by a national body, so employers or the relevant body decide how much weight to give them.
Who hires civil, rail and smart city engineers in New Zealand?
Employers include city and regional councils, central government agencies, consultancies, contractors, and rail and transport operators. Smart city roles increasingly combine infrastructure knowledge with data and digital systems. Hiring usually depends on registration, experience and project records, so a private qualification is a supporting credential rather than a guaranteed entry point.
Will I need a visa, and how do fees and employer funding work?
No student visa is needed to study from home, because all programmes are 100% online and taught in English. Each programme includes an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Master's programmes take 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and specialist courses 300, so check the time commitment against your workload.
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 shallow water equations and their assumptions.
Compare numerical methods for solving 2D models.
Apply 2D models to real flood cases.
Prepare input data and calibrate hydraulic models.
Design the architecture of an early warning system.
Integrate meteorological and hydrological forecasts into operations.
Define communication protocols and response procedures for warnings.
Who it's for
- 2D hydraulic modeller who wants to specialise in 2D Modelling and Early Warning.
- Early warning systems engineer who wants to specialise in 2D Modelling and Early Warning.
- Operational hydrologist who wants to specialise in 2D Modelling and Early Warning.
- Civil protection technician who wants to specialise in 2D Modelling and Early Warning.
- Flood risk analyst who wants to specialise in 2D Modelling and Early Warning.
- Developer of hydroinformatics tools who wants to specialise in 2D Modelling and Early Warning.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to join river basin authorities.
What you'll work with
- Directive 2007/60/EC (assessment and management of flood risks)
- Royal Decree 903/2010 (assessment and management of flood risks)
- Law 17/2015 on the National Civil Protection System
- Basic Directive for Civil Protection Planning for Flood Risk
- ISO 22322 (emergency management: public warning)
- ISO 22328-1 (community-based early warning systems)
- Royal Decree 264/2021 (technical safety standards for dams)
8 modules · 800 h
1.1Shallow water hypotheses1.22D Saint-Venant equations1.3Friction and turbulence terms1.4Wet and dry fronts1.5Discontinuities and hydraulic jumps1.6Dam-break waves1.7Simplified diffusive equations1.8Boundary conditions1.9Stability and the Courant number1.10Practical: solving a dam-break problem
2.1Finite differences, volumes and finite elements2.2Structured and unstructured meshes2.3Godunov and Roe schemes2.4Implicit and explicit schemes2.5Accuracy and numerical diffusion2.6Parallelisation and GPU computing2.7Local mesh refinement2.8Mass conservation2.9Verification against analytical solutions2.10Workshop: comparing schemes in a channel
3.1HEC-RAS 2D3.2Iber3.3TELEMAC-2D3.4MIKE 21 and MIKE FLOOD3.5InfoWorks ICM3.61D-2D coupling3.7Coupling with urban drainage3.8Direct rainfall-on-grid models3.9Software selection criteria3.10Practical: 2D model of a river reach with Iber
4.1LiDAR digital terrain models4.2Channel bathymetry4.3Integration of buildings and obstacles4.4Roughness by land use4.5Inflow hydrographs4.6Calibration with historical events4.7Satellite flood imagery4.8Sensitivity analysis4.9Uncertainty in 2D models4.10Laboratory: calibration with flood marks from a real event
5.1Components of a warning system5.2SAIH hydrometeorological networks5.3Weather radar and precipitation estimation5.4Numerical weather prediction5.5European Flood Alert System (EFAS)5.6Warning thresholds5.7Lead time5.8Flash floods in small catchments5.9Real-time data assimilation5.10Case study: warning thresholds for a catchment
6.1Real-time hydrological models6.2Ensemble forecasting6.3Surrogate models and machine learning6.4Pre-computed flood maps6.5Meteorology-hydrology-hydraulics model chain6.6Forecast verification6.7Reservoir management during floods6.8Centre operating protocols6.9Catchment digital twins6.10Workshop: forecasting chain with ensemble hydrographs
7.1Basic flood directive7.2Civil protection plans7.3Public warnings7.4ES-Alert system7.5Risk communication and perception7.6Coordination with emergency services7.7Evacuation and safe routes7.8Post-event evaluation7.9Lessons from recent episodes7.10Practical: municipal warning protocol
8.1Selection of the catchment and urban area8.2Data collection and processing8.3Building the 2D model8.4Calibration and validation8.5Flood scenarios8.6Warning system design8.7Thresholds and warning protocols8.8Communication plan8.9Report 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. No fixed timetable: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Iber, HEC-RAS 2D, TELEMAC-2D, Delft-FEWS, Python (xarray), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for calibrating models against historical episodes, warning and evacuation drills, and verification of operational hydrological forecasts. Assessment is continuous, module 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.
Explain the shallow water equations and their assumptions.
Compare numerical methods for solving 2D models.
Apply 2D models to real flood cases.
Prepare input data and calibrate hydraulic models.
Design the architecture of an early warning system.
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 reading.
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 consists of 800 hours in total, spread over 6 to 8 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
The programme works with Iber, HEC-RAS 2D, TELEMAC-2D, Delft-FEWS, Python (xarray). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the open-source alternative where one exists.
An own SEIUM diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. It is in-house training, not an official Ministry qualification.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised towards the advanced programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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