Postgraduate Diploma in Device APIs and Versioning
800-hour online Postgraduate Diploma in Device APIs and Versioning. 8 modules covering OMA LwM2M v1.2, IETF RFC 7252 (CoAP) and Zephyr RTOS. Assigned tutor and enrolment open.
Postgraduate Diploma in Device APIs and Versioning — studying from New Zealand
Electronics and telecommunications are significant New Zealand industries, with Chorus operating the national fibre network and Spark, One NZ and 2degrees providing mobile services. Embedded systems and electronics design are strong in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, serving agricultural technology, medical devices and industrial automation. Engineers in this field work for telecommunications providers, electronics manufacturers and research groups, and the Radio Spectrum Management team within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment oversees spectrum use.
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 do New Zealand bodies recognise electronics and telecom engineers?
Engineering New Zealand is the body for engineering registration, including Chartered Professional Engineer status. Telecommunications is overseen by the Commerce Commission and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and radio spectrum is managed by MBIE. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by a national body, so employers decide their weight.
Which New Zealand employers hire embedded systems and telecom engineers?
Employers include telecommunications operators, electronics manufacturers, device makers, defence and aerospace suppliers, and research institutions. Hiring often prioritises practical embedded work, firmware projects and certifications relevant to the role. A private online qualification may help your application, but it does not guarantee an offer.
Is this manageable online from New Zealand, and what study load should I expect?
The programmes are online and in English, so no student visa is needed to study from New Zealand. Each has an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Specialist courses are 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and master's programmes 1,900. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible, so check funding options first.
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
Design robust device APIs on constrained resources.
Specify interfaces with OpenAPI, AsyncAPI and Protocol Buffers.
Apply semantic versioning to firmware and services.
Ensure ABI stability across library versions.
Implement secure OTA updates with rollback.
Automate contract and compatibility testing in CI.
Manage deprecation policies and version support.
Who it's for
- Firmware engineer looking to specialise in Device APIs and Versioning.
- Embedded software architect looking to specialise in Device APIs and Versioning.
- IoT API developer looking to specialise in Device APIs and Versioning.
- Device integration engineer looking to specialise in Device APIs and Versioning.
- IoT platform manager looking to specialise in Device APIs and Versioning.
- Release and versioning engineer looking to specialise in Device APIs and Versioning.
- Graduates in engineering or science seeking to enter consumer electronics.
What you'll work with
- OMA LwM2M v1.2
- IETF RFC 7252 (CoAP)
- OpenAPI Specification 3.1
- IETF RFC 8949 (CBOR)
- IETF RFC 9019 (SUIT architecture)
- OASIS MQTT Version 5.0
- MISRA C:2012
8 modules · 800 h
1.1HAL layers, drivers and application services1.2Interface contracts between firmware and application1.3Synchronous versus asynchronous APIs with callbacks1.4Resource models in constrained devices1.5Memory management and buffer ownership1.6Concurrency, reentrancy and thread safety1.7Error codes and failure semantics1.8Header documentation with Doxygen1.9Constraints on RAM, flash and power consumption1.10Workshop: designing a sensor API in C
2.1CoAP over UDP and resource observation2.2OMA LwM2M object model2.3MQTT 5: topics, properties and QoS2.4Embedded REST over HTTP/1.12.5Compact serialisation with CBOR2.6Protocol Buffers schemas and nanopb2.7gRPC on gateways and Linux devices2.8Discovery with CoRE Link Format2.9Protocol overhead comparison2.10Practical: CoAP server on Zephyr RTOS
3.1OpenAPI 3.1 for gateways and devices3.2AsyncAPI for event-driven interfaces3.3JSON Schema and validation3.4Protocol Buffers IDL and evolution rules3.5Client and server code generation3.6Consumer-driven contracts with Pact3.7Mock servers for parallel development3.8Design review and style guides3.9Specification linting with Spectral3.10Workshop: specifying the API of a thermostat
4.1Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 applied to firmware4.2Versioning in URI, header and media type4.3Compatible changes and breaking changes4.4Optional and reserved fields and default values4.5Deprecation policies and support lifecycles4.6Version negotiation during the handshake4.7Firmware-backend compatibility matrices4.8Automated changelogs with Conventional Commits4.9Tagging and maintenance branches in Git4.10Case study: migrating from v1 to v2 without downtime
5.1Differences between API and ABI in C and C++5.2Alignment, padding and packed structures5.3Function tables and dynamic plugins5.4Visible symbols and symbol versioning5.5Detecting breaking changes with abi-compliance-checker5.6Opaque interfaces and the handle pattern5.7Endianness and portability across architectures5.8Compatibility between GCC and Clang toolchains5.9Static versus shared libraries5.10Laboratory: ABI analysis of two versions
6.1Secure bootloaders and MCUboot6.2A/B partitions and automatic rollback6.3SUIT update manifests6.4Delta updates and compression6.5Migrating persistent data schemas6.6Configuration compatibility across versions6.7Staged rollouts and canary releases6.8Version telemetry across the fleet6.9Device management with LwM2M6.10Practical: OTA with rollback on a microcontroller
7.1Unit testing with Unity and Ceedling7.2Contract testing against the specification7.3Fuzzing parsers with libFuzzer7.4Regression testing across versions7.5Device emulation with QEMU and Renode7.6Continuous integration with firmware matrices7.7Code coverage and MISRA C:20127.8Measuring API latency and throughput7.9Interface security and input validation7.10Laboratory: CI pipeline for a versioned API
8.1Defining device requirements8.2API and data model specification8.3Reference firmware implementation8.4Versioning and deprecation plan8.5Integration with backend and gateway8.6Contract and compatibility testing8.7OTA deployment of a minor version8.8Documentation for integrators8.9Report 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. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake period, which makes it easy to combine with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Zephyr RTOS, Protocol Buffers, Swagger Editor, abi-compliance-checker, Renode, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are based on real procedures: contract testing between firmware and backend, compatibility validation across firmware versions, and simulation of OTA deployments with rollback. Assessment is continuous per 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.
Design robust device APIs on constrained resources.
Specify interfaces with OpenAPI, AsyncAPI and Protocol Buffers.
Apply semantic versioning to firmware and services.
Ensure ABI stability across library versions.
Implement secure OTA updates with rollback.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. A university degree is not required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient command of 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 totals 800 hours, spread over 6 to 8 months. That is 10 to 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
The programme works with Zephyr RTOS, Protocol Buffers, Swagger Editor, abi-compliance-checker, Renode. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate of completion upon passing the continuous assessment and the final integrative project. This is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area can be credited towards the advanced programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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