Diploma in DevSecOps in Defence
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in DevSecOps in defence, structured in 8 modules covering DevSecOps culture, version control and pipelines, code security, containers and orchestration, continuous compliance and accreditation, secure operations and the software supply chain under NIST SP 800-218, NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 and the DoD Enterprise DevSecOps Reference Design, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in DevSecOps in Defence — studying from the United States
Defense engineering is a major pillar of the American economy, with strong clusters in Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, Connecticut and California. Prime contractors such as Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems Inc. develop land, air and naval systems for the Department of Defense. Work spans vehicle design, weapons integration, survivability and secure systems, governed by strict security and procurement rules. Engineers in this field often hold or pursue security clearances, which shapes career paths and project access.
Fees for the United States: US$1,220 (US Dollars), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in the United States
Typical roles
Questions from the United States
What US bodies and clearance rules apply to defense and land-systems engineering?
Defense engineering in the US is shaped by the Department of Defense and agencies such as the Army Contracting Command, with work often requiring security clearances issued through federal processes. Professional engineering bodies include the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and ASME for mechanical systems. Licensure, where needed, comes from state boards. SEIUM's private qualifications are not official degrees and do not confer clearances or licences.
Do US defense contractors and government employers recognize private engineering qualifications?
US defense primes and government employers typically require US citizenship for many roles, security clearances, and accredited degrees or proven experience. A private online qualification is not a substitute for these and is assessed by each employer. It may complement existing expertise, but it should not be relied on as a route into cleared or government positions.
Can a US-based engineer study land-systems topics online alongside full-time work?
Yes, the programmes are online and taught in English, so you can study from home without a student visa. The workload is about 1,900 hours for a master's, 800 hours for a postgraduate diploma, or 300 hours for a specialist course. Each student receives an assigned technical tutor. Fees are payable in instalments, and some employers fund training, so you may wish to ask your employer about support.
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
Understand DevSecOps principles in defence programmes.
Design secure continuous integration and deployment pipelines.
Integrate code security analysis into the development cycle.
Harden containers and orchestration platforms.
Automate compliance evidence for accreditation.
Implement monitoring and response in operation.
Protect the software supply chain.
Who it's for
- DevSecOps engineers working on defence software.
- Secure platform architects.
- Application security analysts.
- System accreditation managers.
- Site reliability engineers.
- Software supply chain consultants.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the defence sector.
What you'll work with
- NIST SP 800-218 (Secure Software Development Framework)
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 (security and privacy controls)
- DoD Enterprise DevSecOps Reference Design (US DoD reference architecture for DevSecOps)
- Spanish National Security Framework (Royal Decree 311/2022) (security requirements for public sector systems)
- ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management systems)
- NIST SP 800-190 (application container security)
- CIS Kubernetes Benchmark (secure configuration of Kubernetes)
- GitLab CI
- SonarQube
- Trivy
- Kubernetes
- HashiCorp Vault
8 modules
1.1From the waterfall cycle to continuous delivery1.2Principles of continuous integration and deployment1.3Shift-left security1.4Specific features of defence programmes1.5DoD Enterprise DevSecOps Reference Design1.6Software Factory and Platform One1.7Organisational change management1.8DORA metrics1.9Roles and responsibilities1.10Case study: maturity assessment of a team
2.1Git and branching strategies2.2Code review and approvals2.3Declarative pipelines2.4GitLab CI and Jenkins2.5Artefact and registry management2.6Signing of commits and artefacts2.7Reproducible builds2.8Pipelines in air-gapped networks2.9Infrastructure as code2.10Workshop: pipeline with integrated scanning
3.1SAST static analysis3.2DAST dynamic analysis3.3Software composition analysis3.4SBOM bill of materials3.5Dependency management3.6Secrets in repositories3.7Secure coding standards3.8Manual security review3.9False positive management3.10Lab: integration of SonarQube and Trivy
4.1Container fundamentals4.2Hardened images and minimal bases4.3Kubernetes and its security model4.4Admission policies4.5Service mesh and mutual encryption4.6Secrets management with Vault4.7Image scanning4.8CIS benchmarks for Kubernetes4.9Disconnected environments4.10Practical exercise: hardening a Kubernetes cluster
5.1NIST RMF risk management framework5.2NIST SP 800-53 controls5.3Continuous authorisation (cATO)5.4Spanish National Security Framework (ENS)5.5Policy as code5.6Automated compliance evidence5.7Exception management5.8Audits and traceability5.9Information classification5.10Case study: evidence package for accreditation
6.1Observability: logs, metrics and traces6.2Runtime threat detection6.3Vulnerability management in production6.4Incident response6.5Patch management6.6Backup and recovery6.7Resilience and controlled degradation6.8Deployment on embedded systems6.9Updates on deployed platforms6.10Lab: detection and alerting with Falco
7.1Supply chain attacks7.2SLSA framework7.3Signing with Sigstore7.4Artefact provenance7.5Supplier assessment7.6Open-source software in defence7.7Licences and compliance7.8Interoperability with allies7.9Software governance7.10Case study: analysis of the SolarWinds incident
8.1Selection of the study system8.2Analysis of security requirements8.3Pipeline design8.4Tool selection8.5Policy as code8.6Accreditation plan8.7Monitoring and response8.8Evaluation metrics8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
The programme is 100% online 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 it fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. You work with GitLab CI, SonarQube, Trivy, Kubernetes and HashiCorp Vault, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures for building pipelines with security scanning, hardening container clusters and incident response drills. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: NIST SP 800-218, NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, DoD Enterprise DevSecOps Reference Design, Spanish National Security Framework (Royal Decree 311/2022), ISO/IEC 27001, NIST SP 800-190 and CIS Kubernetes Benchmark.
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's 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 GitLab CI, SonarQube, Trivy, Kubernetes and HashiCorp Vault, 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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