DO-178C requirements traceability course
Online course of 300 hours in DO-178C requirements traceability, structured in 6 modules covering requirements in the DO-178C life cycle, writing verifiable requirements, bidirectional traceability, requirements-based verification and tools and change management, with an assigned technical tutor.
DO-178C requirements traceability course — studying from South Africa
South Africa has a long-standing aerospace base, anchored by the Western Cape cluster around Cape Town and the Gauteng aerospace corridor near Johannesburg. Companies such as Denel Aerospace Systems, Aerosud and Airbus-linked suppliers in the Western Cape draw on local engineering talent. The South African Civil Aviation Authority oversees airworthiness and drone regulation, while the South African National Space Agency coordinates national space activity. Demand for skills in aircraft systems, unmanned aerial systems and satellite engineering continues to grow across both regions.
Fees for South Africa: R 8 340 (South African rand), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in South Africa
Typical roles
Questions from South Africa
Will a SEIUM qualification be recognised by the South African Council for Aeronautical and Engineering Professions or ECSA?
SEIUM is a private online institute and its qualifications are not official state degrees or accredited by a national body. In South Africa, professional registration is handled by bodies such as ECSA (Engineering Council of South Africa) and SACAP for built environment roles, and aviation licensing by the SACAA. Recognition of a private qualification is decided by the employer or the relevant body, so check directly with them before enrolling.
Would this qualification help me get work with aerospace or drone employers in South Africa?
Employers in South Africa's aerospace and drone sector, such as aircraft maintenance organisations, defence contractors and drone operators, usually weigh experience, licensing and university credentials heavily. A private online qualification can support your CV and show specialist knowledge, but it does not guarantee hiring or a particular role. Ask prospective employers whether they value the programme before you commit.
Can I manage the workload while working full time, and do I need to be fluent in English?
The programme is 100% online and taught in English, so you need solid working English. Study is fully remote, so no student visa is needed to study from home. Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, with an assigned technical tutor. Plan your weekly hours realistically, and ask whether employer sponsorship or instalment payment could help with fees.
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 the traceability objectives set out in DO-178C.
Write clear, verifiable and traceable software requirements.
Establish bidirectional traceability between requirements, code and tests.
Derive normal range and robustness test cases from requirements.
Analyse the impact of changes using traceability.
Select and qualify requirements management tools.
Build a complete traceability package for a software function.
Who it's for
- Software requirements engineers.
- Software verification engineers.
- Quality assurance engineers in avionics.
- Software certification engineers.
- Embedded software developers working on airborne systems.
- DO-178C consultants.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to work for avionics suppliers.
What you'll work with
- RTCA DO-178C / EUROCAE ED-12C (software considerations in airborne systems)
- RTCA DO-248C / EUROCAE ED-94C (supporting information for DO-178C)
- RTCA DO-331 / EUROCAE ED-218 (model-based development and verification)
- SAE ARP4754B / EUROCAE ED-79B (development of civil aircraft and systems)
- RTCA DO-330 / EUROCAE ED-215 (software tool qualification)
- EASA AMC 20-115D (airborne software development assurance)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018 (requirements engineering)
- IBM DOORS Next
- Siemens Polarion
- Jama Connect
- LDRA TBmanager
- VectorCAST
6 modules
1.1Planning, development and integration processes1.2System requirements allocated to software1.3High-level requirements1.4Software architecture1.5Low-level requirements1.6Derived requirements and their communication to the safety process1.7Traceability objectives in the Annex A tables1.8Variations by software level1.9Life cycle data involved1.10Case study: reading tables A-2 to A-7
2.1Attributes of a good requirement2.2EARS writing patterns2.3Ambiguity, completeness and consistency2.4Functional, performance and interface requirements2.5Robustness requirements2.6Unique identifiers and attributes2.7Project requirements standards2.8Checklist-based requirements review2.9Requirements quality metrics2.10Workshop: rewriting ambiguous FMS requirements
3.1System to high-level traces3.2High-level to low-level traces3.3Requirements to source code traces3.4Requirements to test case traces3.5Source code to object code traces3.6Detecting untraced functionality3.7Change impact analysis3.8Traceability matrices and reports3.9Traceability in models under DO-3313.10Lab: traceability matrix in DOORS
4.1Normal range test cases4.2Robustness test cases4.3Equivalence classes and boundary values4.4Requirements coverage by testing4.5Structural coverage analysis4.6Resolving coverage gaps4.7Dead and deactivated code4.8Reviews and analyses as a means of verification4.9Traceability of test results4.10Practical exercise: deriving test cases from requirements
5.1Requirements management tools5.2Integration with version control5.3Automatic links in ALM environments5.4Qualification of traceability tools5.5Baselines and configuration management5.6Problem reports and change traces5.7Traceability in agile methodologies5.8Exchange with suppliers via ReqIF5.9Authority traceability audits5.10Case study: impact of a system requirement change
6.1Description of the software function6.2Written high-level requirements6.3Architecture and low-level requirements6.4Complete traceability matrix6.5Traced test cases6.6Coverage analysis achieved6.7Change impact report6.8Evidence for audit6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM Institute campus, with downloadable materials, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so the programme is compatible with full-time work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standards and applied exercises. The working software is IBM DOORS Next, Siemens Polarion, Jama Connect, LDRA TBmanager and VectorCAST, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: building bidirectional traceability matrices, deriving test cases from requirements and analysing the impact of requirement changes. Assessment is continuous by module, plus a final capstone project.
Standards covered: RTCA DO-178C / EUROCAE ED-12C, RTCA DO-248C / EUROCAE ED-94C, RTCA DO-331 / EUROCAE ED-218, SAE ARP4754B / EUROCAE ED-79B, RTCA DO-330 / EUROCAE ED-215, EASA AMC 20-115D, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018.
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
- No prior qualification is required.
- An internet connection and a computer able to run 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 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with IBM DOORS Next, Siemens Polarion, Jama Connect, LDRA TBmanager and VectorCAST, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, 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.
No prior qualification is required; you need an internet connection, 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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