Route Engineering: national legal frameworks.
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in route-to-market engineering: national legal frameworks. 12 modules covering law and technical safety, the Spanish, European, American and Asia-Pacific frameworks for accident investigation, reporting obligations, expert evidence, liability, data protection and recommendations, with an assigned technical tutor.
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
Analyse national legal frameworks for accident investigation.
Compare institutional models in Europe, the Americas and Asia.
Apply occurrence reporting obligations.
Prepare expert reports with evidential value.
Assess the liability of manufacturers and operators.
Protect data and recordings in accordance with the law.
Propose improvements to legal harmonisation between countries.
Who it's for
- Legal-technical advisers in transport safety.
- Court-appointed accident experts.
- Technical staff at investigation bodies.
- Operator compliance managers.
- Safety policy consultants.
- Transport regulation analysts.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter public administration.
What you'll work with
- Regulation (EU) 996/2010 (civil aviation accident investigation)
- Directive (EU) 2016/798 (railway safety)
- Regulation (EU) 376/2014 (occurrence reporting in civil aviation)
- Directive 2009/18/EC (maritime accident investigation)
- Law 38/2015 on the Railway Sector (Spain)
- Law 21/2003 on Air Safety (Spain)
- Royal Decree 800/2011 (maritime casualty investigation and the CIAIM, Spain)
- Directive 85/374/EEC (liability for defective products)
- EUR-Lex
- ECCAIRS
- Westlaw
- NVivo
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Relationship between technical investigation and judicial proceedings1.2Principles of legality and the hierarchy of legal norms1.3Civil, criminal and administrative liability1.4Transposition of directives into national law1.5National safety authorities1.6Permanent investigation bodies1.7Confidentiality and secrecy of judicial investigations1.8Rights of victims and their families1.9International cooperation in occurrences1.10Case study: institutional map of a European country
2.1Law 38/2015 on the Railway Sector2.2Royal Decree 623/2014 and the CIAF2.3Law 21/2003 on Air Safety2.4The CIAIAC and its regulation2.5Royal Decree 800/2011 and the CIAIM2.6The Traffic and Road Safety Act2.7Court-appointed experts under the Civil Procedure Act2.8Coordination with investigating judges2.9Publication of technical reports2.10Practical exercise: processing a railway occurrence in Spain
3.1France: BEA, BEA-TT and BEAmer3.2Germany: BFU, BSU and BEU3.3United Kingdom: AAIB, RAIB and MAIB3.4The Netherlands and its Safety Board3.5The Nordic countries and multimodal models3.6Italy and its investigation agency3.7Differences in institutional independence3.8Access to evidence by the judicial authority3.9Reform trends in Europe3.10Case study: comparison of the BEA and the CIAIAC
4.1United States: the NTSB and its organic act4.2Canada: the Transportation Safety Board4.3Mexico: investigation authorities4.4Brazil: CENIPA and its regime4.5Argentina: the multimodal JST4.6Chile and Colombia: aviation bodies4.7Use of reports in US litigation4.8Legal protection of recordings4.9Capacity challenges in the region4.10Workshop: legal matrix of five American countries
5.1Japan: the multimodal JTSB5.2China: the CAAC and its investigation system5.3Australia: the ATSB and its transport safety law5.4South Korea and ARAIB5.5India: AAIB and the railway CRS5.6Singapore and TSIB5.7Cultural differences in reporting5.8Coordination with foreign manufacturers5.9Publication and translation of reports5.10Case study: an investigation involving Asian States
6.1Regulation (EU) 376/2014 on occurrences6.2Mandatory and voluntary reporting6.3Reporting deadlines by mode6.4Classification of serious incidents6.5Reporting of maritime occurrences6.6Railway reporting to the ERA6.7Related occupational and traffic accidents6.8Protection of the reporter6.9Penalties for non-compliance6.10Practical exercise: reporting flow for an aviation incident
7.1Evidential value of the technical report7.2Party-appointed and court-appointed experts7.3Quality standards for expert reports7.4Chain of custody in proceedings7.5Conflicting expert opinions and confrontation7.6Use of simulations as evidence7.7Admissibility of scientific evidence7.8Daubert and US standards7.9Professional liability of the expert7.10Workshop: expert report on an accident
8.1Liability for defective products8.2Directive 85/374/EEC and its revision8.3Obligations of certificate holders8.4Product recalls and communication8.5Liability of transport operators8.6The Montreal Convention in aviation8.7Maritime liability conventions8.8Compulsory insurance and its role8.9Relationship with investigation reports8.10Case study: liability after a component failure
9.1Protection of cockpit recordings9.2GDPR in technical investigations9.3Health data and autopsies9.4Video recordings on public transport9.5Family access to information9.6Connected vehicle data9.7International data transfers9.8Retention and destruction of evidence9.9Conflicts between transparency and privacy9.10Practical exercise: data protection impact assessment
10.1Legal nature of recommendations10.2Obligation of addressees to respond10.3Public follow-up of recommendations10.4Recommendations to regulators10.5Regulatory changes resulting from accidents10.6Assessing compliance10.7European recommendation databases10.8Impact on safety management systems10.9Institutional effectiveness indicators10.10Case study: a recommendation that changed a regulation
11.1Funding and resources of investigation bodies11.2Selection and training of investigators11.3Agreements between bodies in different countries11.4Managing major accidents11.5Support for victims and families11.6Public communication and transparency11.7Audits of bodies by ICAO and the EU11.8Multimodal versus sector-specific models11.9Proposals for institutional improvement11.10Workshop: evaluation of a national body
12.1Choosing the countries and modes to compare12.2Review of applicable legislation12.3Comparative institutional analysis12.4Study of a transnational occurrence12.5Identifying legal gaps12.6Harmonisation proposals12.7Feasibility assessment12.8Conclusions and recommendations12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
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, making it compatible with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original legislation and applied exercises. The working software is EUR-Lex, ECCAIRS, Westlaw and NVivo, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: legislative comparisons between countries, analysis of expert reports and follow-up of safety recommendations. Assessment is continuous for each module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: Regulation (EU) 996/2010, Directive (EU) 2016/798, Regulation (EU) 376/2014, Directive 2009/18/EC, Spanish Law 38/2015 on the Railway Sector, Spanish Law 21/2003 on Air Safety, Royal Decree 800/2011 and Directive 85/374/EEC.
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 EUR-Lex, ECCAIRS, Westlaw and NVivo, 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 programme 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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