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Master'sRegulation, Safety, RAMS & Homologation Applications open

Master’s in Accident Investigation and Multimodal Technical Forensics Engineering

Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in multimodal accident investigation and technical forensics engineering. 12 modules covering investigation principles, scene management, recorders, fractography, reconstruction, human factors and investigation in aviation, rail, maritime and road transport, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration1900 h
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Apply systemic accident investigation methodologies.

02

Document scenes and preserve evidence rigorously.

03

Analyse data from recorders and electronic sources.

04

Interpret material failures through fractography.

05

Reconstruct occurrences using physical models and simulation.

06

Integrate human and organisational factors into the analysis.

07

Write effective reports and safety recommendations.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Technical accident investigators.
  • Forensic engineers and court-appointed experts in accident claims.
  • Human factors analysts.
  • Failure analysis engineers.
  • Road traffic accident reconstructionists.
  • Operational safety managers.
  • Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the aviation sector.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ICAO Annex 13 (aircraft accident and incident investigation)
  • Regulation (EU) 996/2010 (investigation and prevention of civil aviation accidents)
  • Directive (EU) 2016/798 (railway safety)
  • IMO Casualty Investigation Code (marine casualty investigation)
  • Directive 2009/18/EC (maritime accident investigation)
  • ISO/IEC 17020 (inspection bodies)
  • UNE 197001 (general criteria for expert reports)
  • ISO 21512 (road vehicle crash data and accident analysis)
  • PC-Crash
  • Virtual CRASH
  • FARO Zone 3D
  • Bosch CDR
  • Agisoft Metashape
Syllabus

12 modules · 1900 h

  1. 1.1Preventive purpose versus apportioning blame
  2. 1.2Independence of investigation bodies
  3. 1.3Causation theory and accident models
  4. 1.4Reason's Swiss cheese model
  5. 1.5Systemic models: AcciMap and STAMP
  6. 1.6Technical, human and organisational factors
  7. 1.7Chain of custody of evidence
  8. 1.8Ethics of the technical investigator
  9. 1.9Communication with victims and the media
  10. 1.10Case study: analysis of a public accident report
  1. 2.1Investigator safety on site
  2. 2.2Coordination with emergency services
  3. 2.3Systematic photographic documentation
  4. 2.4Sketches and topographic measurements
  5. 2.5Terrestrial laser scanning of the scene
  6. 2.6Drone photogrammetry
  7. 2.7Collecting and labelling wreckage
  8. 2.8Preserving perishable evidence
  9. 2.9Recording environmental conditions
  10. 2.10Practical exercise: scene documentation plan
  1. 3.1Flight data and cockpit voice recorders
  2. 3.2Event data recorders in vehicles
  3. 3.3Railway juridical recorders
  4. 3.4VDRs on ships
  5. 3.5Data extraction and download
  6. 3.6Validation and time synchronisation
  7. 3.7Telematics and fleet data
  8. 3.8Video and CCTV sources
  9. 3.9Data limitations and uncertainty
  10. 3.10Lab: analysis of EDR data
  1. 4.1Failure mechanisms: fatigue, overload, corrosion
  2. 4.2Macroscopic examination of surfaces
  3. 4.3Scanning electron microscopy
  4. 4.4Metallographic analysis and hardness
  5. 4.5Identifying beach marks
  6. 4.6Failures in composite materials
  7. 4.7Fire damage versus pre-existing damage
  8. 4.8Non-destructive testing of wreckage
  9. 4.9Writing the laboratory report
  10. 4.10Case study: fatigue fracture of an axle
  1. 5.1Principles of collision dynamics
  2. 5.2Conservation of momentum
  3. 5.3Deformation energy and damage profiles
  4. 5.4Multibody simulation of vehicles
  5. 5.5Reconstruction of flight paths
  6. 5.6Simulation of maritime manoeuvres
  7. 5.7Derailment analysis
  8. 5.8Validation of reconstruction models
  9. 5.9Visual presentation of reconstructions
  10. 5.10Lab: collision reconstruction with software
  1. 6.1Human error: taxonomies and classification
  2. 6.2HFACS in aviation and other modes
  3. 6.3Fatigue, workload and attention
  4. 6.4Cognitive interviews with witnesses
  5. 6.5Analysis of procedures and training
  6. 6.6Interface design and induced errors
  7. 6.7Safety culture and just culture
  8. 6.8Organisational and regulatory factors
  9. 6.9Human factors recommendations
  10. 6.10Workshop: HFACS analysis of an occurrence
  1. 7.1ICAO Annex 13 and its principles
  2. 7.2Regulation (EU) 996/2010
  3. 7.3Notification and the States of Registry and Manufacture
  4. 7.4Organising investigation groups
  5. 7.5Analysis of aircraft wreckage
  6. 7.6Investigation of serious incidents
  7. 7.7Preliminary and final reports
  8. 7.8Safety recommendations
  9. 7.9Follow-up of recommendations
  10. 7.10Case study: report structure according to Annex 13
  1. 8.1Directive (EU) 2016/798 and national bodies
  2. 8.2The role of CIAF in Spain
  3. 8.3Derailments, collisions and person strikes
  4. 8.4Analysis of track and rolling stock
  5. 8.5Signalling and interlocking records
  6. 8.6Interface with safety management
  7. 8.7Reports and legal deadlines
  8. 8.8Recommendations to infrastructure managers and railway undertakings
  9. 8.9Lessons from European accidents
  10. 8.10Practical exercise: analysis of a derailment
  1. 9.1IMO Casualty Investigation Code
  2. 9.2Directive 2009/18/EC on maritime investigation
  3. 9.3CIAIM in Spain
  4. 9.4Analysis of groundings and collisions
  5. 9.5Stability and loss of ships
  6. 9.6Fires on board and extinguishing systems
  7. 9.7Human factors on the bridge
  8. 9.8AIS and VDR data
  9. 9.9Cooperation between substantially interested States
  10. 9.10Case study: reconstruction of a collision using AIS
  1. 10.1In-depth road investigation models
  2. 10.2CARE, GIDAS and CIREN databases
  3. 10.3Post-accident technical inspection of vehicles
  4. 10.4Analysis of ADAS systems involved
  5. 10.5Road infrastructure and environmental factors
  6. 10.6Injury biomechanics
  7. 10.7Investigating accidents involving autonomous vehicles
  8. 10.8Forensic expert reports for court
  9. 10.9Using data in road safety policy
  10. 10.10Workshop: analysis of a crash involving ADAS
  1. 11.1Technical writing of investigation reports
  2. 11.2Structure of findings, causes and factors
  3. 11.3Formulating effective recommendations
  4. 11.4Differences between a technical report and an expert report
  5. 11.5Quality standards in expert work
  6. 11.6Giving evidence in court
  7. 11.7Protection of safety information
  8. 11.8Lessons-learned databases
  9. 11.9Assessing the impact of recommendations
  10. 11.10Practical exercise: drafting safety recommendations
  1. 12.1Selecting the occurrence to study
  2. 12.2Gathering sources and evidence
  3. 12.3Technical analysis of the failure
  4. 12.4Human factors analysis
  5. 12.5Systemic causation model
  6. 12.6Supporting reconstruction or simulation
  7. 12.7Safety recommendations
  8. 12.8Discussion and limitations
  9. 12.9Master's Thesis report
  10. 12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

100% online learning 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, making it compatible with work.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is PC-Crash, Virtual CRASH, FARO Zone 3D, Bosch CDR and Agisoft Metashape, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: fractographic analysis of failed components, collision reconstruction from data and download and validation of recorders. Assessment is continuous for each module, plus the final Master's Thesis.

Standards covered: ICAO Annex 13, Regulation (EU) 996/2010, Directive (EU) 2016/798, IMO Casualty Investigation Code, Directive 2009/18/EC, ISO/IEC 17020, UNE 197001 and ISO 21512.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of ICAO Annex 13, Regulation (EU) 996/2010 and Directive (EU) 2016/798 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:PC-Crash, Virtual CRASH, FARO Zone 3D, Bosch CDR and Agisoft Metashape, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Master's Thesis with defence:a full investigation of an occurrence, combining technical failure analysis, human factors, a systemic causation model, reconstruction and safety recommendations, defended before a panel.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Document the scene
Plan scene documentation with photogrammetry, laser scanning and evidence preservation.
Analyse recorder data
Download, synchronise and validate recorder and electronic data.
Examine the failure
Carry out fractographic and materials analysis of failed components.
Reconstruct and analyse factors
Reconstruct the occurrence with simulation and analyse human factors using HFACS.
Master's Thesis
Deliver a complete multimodal investigation with safety recommendations, defended before a panel.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Technical Accident InvestigatorForensic Accident ExpertHuman Factors AnalystFailure Analysis EngineerRoad Traffic Accident ReconstructionistOperational Safety Manager
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
  • 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.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with PC-Crash, Virtual CRASH, FARO Zone 3D, Bosch CDR and Agisoft Metashape, 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 Master's Thesis. 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 in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), 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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