Course in Ethical History of Military Procurement
Online 300 h course in the ethical history of military procurement. 6 modules covering the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials (1997), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA, 1977) and Zotero. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
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Run a real engineering trade-off from this programme. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Describe the historical evolution of arms procurement by states.
Analyse the anatomy of major military procurement scandals.
Relate each scandal to the regulatory responses it provoked.
Compare the anti-corruption regimes of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Apply ethical frameworks to historical and current procurement decisions.
Draw lessons applicable to current compliance programmes.
Write a documented historical-ethical analysis of a procurement case.
Who it's for
- Defence history researcher who wants to specialise in Ethical History of Military Procurement.
- Procurement integrity analyst who wants to specialise in Ethical History of Military Procurement.
- Anti-corruption compliance officer who wants to specialise in Ethical History of Military Procurement.
- Institutional ethics adviser who wants to specialise in Ethical History of Military Procurement.
- Defence journalist who wants to specialise in Ethical History of Military Procurement.
- Professional ethics lecturer in engineering who wants to specialise in Ethical History of Military Procurement.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter university and research.
What you'll work with
- OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials (1997)
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA, 1977)
- UK Bribery Act 2010
- United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)
- Arms Trade Treaty (ATT, 2013)
- Directive 2009/81/EC (defence and security procurement)
- ISO 37001 (anti-bribery management systems)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1From the artisan gunsmith to the industrial contractor1.2Nineteenth-century wars and the birth of large-scale industry1.3The arms trade before the First World War1.4Parliamentary inquiries of the 1930s1.5Conversion and spending in the Second World War1.6The military-industrial complex and its public formulation1.7Cold War: programmes, secrets and budgets1.8Post-Cold War and industrial consolidation1.9Historical sources and their critical reading1.10Exercise: placing a case in its historical context
2.1Common patterns in known cases2.2Intermediaries, commissions and opaque accounts2.3Purchase of political influence2.4Manipulation of requirements and specifications2.5Overpricing and creative accounting2.6Revolving doors between government and industry2.7Investigations, trials and real outcomes2.8Impunity and statutes of limitation2.9Effect on public trust2.10Practice: analysing a documented case
3.1Early laws controlling military spending3.2Anti-corruption legislation with extraterritorial reach3.3International conventions against bribery3.4Public procurement rules and their tightening3.5Export control and licensing3.6Independent oversight bodies3.7Whistleblower protection and its evolution3.8Corporate compliance programmes3.9Real effectiveness of each response3.10Practice: tracing a regulation back to the case that prompted it
4.1Public interest versus industrial interest4.2Military necessity and its justification4.3Opportunity cost of spending4.4Local employment as an argument4.5Legitimate secrecy and abusive opacity4.6Responsibility of the technical civil servant4.7Responsibility of the industrial executive4.8Role of the external adviser4.9Duty to report and its personal costs4.10Debate: a case with real dilemmas
5.1What has changed and what has not since the last century5.2New risks: technology, software and services5.3International programmes and diffuse responsibility5.4Transparency available today and its limits5.5Sector integrity indices and measurements5.6The role of journalism and academic research5.7Education of sector professionals5.8Most frequently cited pending reforms5.9How to assess the risk of a current programme5.10Practice: applying the lessons to a programme in force
6.1Selection of a documented historical case6.2Reconstruction of the facts and actors6.3Analysis of the mechanisms used6.4Institutional and judicial response6.5Rules the case gave rise to6.6Comparison with a recent case6.7Lessons transferable to current practice6.8Derived training material6.9Study report6.10Defence of the work
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it compatible with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original regulation and applied exercises. The working software is Zotero, NVivo, Advanced Excel, Timeline JS, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Essays are studied using real procedures for the historical analysis of corruption cases in arms procurement, review of documentary and parliamentary sources, and ethical debate seminars. 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.
Describe the historical evolution of arms procurement by states.
Analyse the anatomy of major military procurement scandals.
Relate each scandal to the regulatory responses it provoked.
Compare the anti-corruption regimes of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Apply ethical frameworks to historical and current procurement decisions.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree 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 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours a week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with Zotero, NVivo, Advanced Excel, Timeline JS. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An in-house diploma issued by SEIUM upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. It is institutional training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Please check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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