Diploma in Yocto Integration and BSP Management
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in Yocto Integration and BSP Management. 8 modules covering Yocto and OpenEmbedded architecture, recipes and packaging, board support packages, distribution and image design, lifecycle maintenance, continuous integration and middleware integration, aligned with ISO/IEC 5230 (OpenChain), ISO/IEC 5962 (SPDX) and the Cyber Resilience Act, 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
Understand the architecture of the Yocto Project, OpenEmbedded and BitBake.
Write and debug recipes and bbappends for in-house software.
Develop and maintain a BSP with U-Boot, kernel and device tree.
Design distributions and images optimised for production.
Manage licences, CVEs and SBOMs throughout the lifecycle.
Automate builds and tests through continuous integration.
Integrate middleware and update mechanisms into a platform.
Who it's for
- Embedded Linux engineers.
- BSP integrators.
- Build and release engineers.
- Firmware developers moving up to embedded Linux.
- Embedded platform engineers.
- Open-source compliance managers.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to join the industrial electronics sector.
What you'll work with
- ISO/IEC 5230:2020 (OpenChain) (open-source licence compliance programmes)
- ISO/IEC 5962:2021 (SPDX) (software package data exchange format for SBOMs)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act) (cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements)
- IEC 62443-4-1:2018 (secure product development lifecycle)
- ISO/IEC 18974:2023 (open-source security assurance)
- IEEE 1003.1 (POSIX) (portable operating system interface)
- Yocto Project (BitBake/OpenEmbedded)
- devtool
- kas
- QEMU
- Git
8 modules
1.1BitBake: tasks, dependencies and execution1.2Layers, metadata and layer.conf1.3Poky as the reference distribution1.4Recipes, classes and configuration files1.5Key variables: MACHINE, DISTRO and IMAGE_INSTALL1.6Sstate-cache and incremental builds1.7Cross toolchain and sysroots1.8LTS versions and the release cycle1.9Structure of the build directory1.10Lab: first core-image-minimal image in QEMU
2.1Anatomy of a .bb recipe2.2Fetchers: git, https and local mirrors2.3Patches, bbappend and quilt2.4autotools, cmake and meson classes2.5DEPENDS and RDEPENDS dependencies2.6ipk, rpm and deb package formats2.7Licences, LIC_FILES_CHKSUM and compliance2.8Debugging recipes with bitbake -e2.9Using devtool to modify sources2.10Practical exercise: recipe for an in-house CMake application
3.1Concept and scope of a BSP3.2Vendor BSP layers: meta-ti and meta-freescale3.3Machine definition and architecture tuning3.4U-Boot bootloader: configuration and environment3.5Linux kernel: recipes, defconfig and fragments3.6Device tree in the machine layer3.7Firmware, blobs and proprietary licences3.8Partitioning and images with WIC3.9Peripheral support and on-board validation3.10Lab: BSP for an i.MX8-based board
4.1Distribution policies and DISTRO_FEATURES4.2Init systems: systemd versus SysVinit4.3Production and development images4.4Size and footprint reduction4.5Read-only rootfs and overlays4.6User management and initial configuration4.7SDK and eSDK for application developers4.8Multiconfig and builds for several machines4.9Binary reproducibility of images4.10Workshop: custom distribution with minimal systemd
5.1Layer strategy and separation of responsibilities5.2Tracking upstream versions and backports5.3Migration between LTS releases5.4CVE management with cve-check5.5SBOM generation in SPDX format5.6Licence compliance with archiver5.7BSP branching policies5.8Platform documentation and versioning5.9Long-term product support5.10Case study: migration from Kirkstone to Scarthgap
6.1Build infrastructure and shared cache6.2Source mirrors and PREMIRRORS6.3Pipelines in GitLab CI or Jenkins6.4Containers for reproducible builds with kas6.5Repository management with repo and kas6.6Automated testing with ptest and oeqa6.7Testing on real hardware with LAVA6.8Build time metrics and optimisation6.9Hash equivalence and sstate server6.10Practical exercise: CI pipeline for a BSP
7.1Integration of Qt and graphics frameworks7.2Embedded containers with meta-virtualization7.3Networking stacks and connectivity7.4Integration of Python and other runtimes7.5Security packages: meta-security and SELinux7.6Updates with SWUpdate, RAUC or Mender7.7Remote debugging with gdbserver7.8Profiling with perf and tracing with LTTng7.9Boot time optimisation7.10Lab: Qt application with OTA updates
8.1Platform and product requirements8.2Selection of board and base layers8.3Development of an in-house BSP layer8.4Production image and SDK8.5CI pipeline with tests8.6SBOM, licences and CVE management8.7Validation on target hardware8.8Platform technical documentation8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training 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 the programme fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Yocto Project (BitBake/OpenEmbedded), devtool, kas, QEMU and Git, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for building images in QEMU and on real boards, auditing licences and SBOMs, and continuous integration of BSPs. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final capstone project.
Standards covered: ISO/IEC 5230:2020 (OpenChain), ISO/IEC 5962:2021 (SPDX), Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act), IEC 62443-4-1:2018, ISO/IEC 18974:2023, IEEE 1003.1 (POSIX).
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.
- 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 Yocto Project (BitBake/OpenEmbedded), devtool, kas, QEMU and Git, 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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