Diploma in Slope Stability and Containment
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in slope stability and retaining structures, structured in 8 modules covering slope movements, slope stability in soils and rock masses, retaining walls, stabilisation and reinforcement, slope monitoring, and regulations and slope management under Eurocode 7, 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
Identify types and mechanisms of slope instability.
Analyse slope stability in soils using limit equilibrium methods.
Assess the stability of rock masses with kinematic analysis.
Design retaining walls in accordance with Eurocode 7.
Select stabilisation and reinforcement techniques.
Plan monitoring and early warning systems.
Prepare a slope stabilisation project.
Who it's for
- Geotechnical engineers.
- Engineering geologists.
- Slope stabilisation designers.
- Monitoring technicians.
- Road maintenance engineers.
- Natural hazards consultants.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to move into road infrastructure.
What you'll work with
- EN 1997-1 (Eurocode 7 — geotechnical design)
- EN 14490 (execution of special geotechnical works — soil nailing)
- EN 14475 (execution of special geotechnical works — reinforced fill)
- EN 1537 (execution of special geotechnical works — ground anchors)
- Spanish Ministry of Public Works guide to foundations in road works (road geotechnical design guidance)
- EAD 340059-00-0106 (European assessment document for falling rock protection kits)
- BS 8006-1 (code of practice for strengthened/reinforced soils and other fills)
- Rocscience Slide2
- Rocscience Dips
- RocFall
- GeoStudio SLOPE/W
- PLAXIS 2D
8 modules
1.1Varnes classification of slope movements1.2Conditioning and triggering factors1.3Soil and rock slopes1.4Landslide investigation1.5Water and pore pressures1.6Rainfall and earthquakes as triggers1.7Hazard mapping1.8Historical landslide cases1.9Instability mechanisms1.10Workshop: reconnaissance of an active landslide
2.1Limit equilibrium methods2.2Bishop, Janbu and Spencer methods2.3Morgenstern-Price method2.4Circular and non-circular surfaces2.5Effective and total stresses2.6Factor of safety and its meaning2.7Probabilistic stability analysis2.8Finite element strength reduction2.9Back-analysis of failures2.10Practical exercise: stability analysis with Slide2
3.1Characterisation of discontinuities3.2Stereographic projection of discontinuities3.3Planar, wedge and toppling failures3.4Kinematic analysis of failures3.5Hoek-Brown failure criterion3.6Rockfalls3.7Rockfall trajectories3.8Scaling and excavation of rock slopes3.9SMR geomechanical classification3.10Lab: stereographic analysis with Dips
4.1Gravity walls4.2Reinforced concrete cantilever walls4.3Reinforced earth walls4.4Gabion walls4.5Rock-fill walls4.6Backfill drainage4.7Earth pressures on walls4.8Overturning, sliding and bearing failure4.9Structural design of the wall4.10Case study: design of a cantilever wall
5.1Rock bolts and ground anchors5.2Soil nailing5.3Double-twist wire meshes5.4Dynamic rockfall barriers5.5Sub-horizontal relief drains5.6Stabilising pile walls5.7Geosynthetic reinforcement5.8Bioengineering and revegetation5.9Modifying the slope geometry5.10Practical exercise: soil nail wall design
6.1Inclinometers in landslides6.2Piezometers and water pressures6.3Wire extensometers6.4GNSS and radar interferometry6.5Ground-based synthetic aperture radar6.6Alert thresholds6.7Early warning systems6.8Interpreting monitoring data6.9Crisis management6.10Case study: early warning on a road
7.1Eurocode 7 applied to slopes7.2Spanish guide to foundations in road works7.3Landslide risk management7.4Slope maintenance7.5Slope inventories7.6Prioritisation of interventions7.7Stabilisation costs7.8Environmental impact of solutions7.9Effects of climate change7.10Workshop: prioritising slopes in a road network
8.1Description of the slope8.2Geotechnical investigation of the slope8.3Geological model of the slope8.4Stability analysis8.5Stabilisation solution8.6Retaining structure design8.7Monitoring plan8.8Budget for the solution8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training 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 the intake, so it can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Rocscience Slide2, Rocscience Dips, RocFall, GeoStudio SLOPE/W and PLAXIS 2D, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: stability analysis of soil and rock slopes, design of stabilisation and retaining solutions and monitoring of active landslides. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: EN 1997-1, EN 14490, EN 14475, EN 1537, Spanish Ministry of Public Works guide to foundations in road works, EAD 340059-00-0106, BS 8006-1
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 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 Rocscience Slide2, Rocscience Dips, RocFall, GeoStudio SLOPE/W and PLAXIS 2D, 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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