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Master’s in LCA Engineering

Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in life-cycle assessment (LCA) engineering, structured in 12 modules covering the ISO 14040/14044 methodology, life-cycle inventory, impact assessment, uncertainty, LCA of renewable technologies and buildings, corporate carbon footprint, ecodesign and circularity, and social LCA and life-cycle costing, 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 the ISO 14040 and 14044 methodology.

02

Define appropriate goals, scope and functional units.

03

Build life-cycle inventories with high-quality data.

04

Assess impacts with recognised methods.

05

Interpret results with uncertainty analysis.

06

Calculate the carbon footprint of products and organisations.

07

Integrate ecodesign and circularity criteria.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Life-cycle analysts looking to master the full ISO 14040/14044 methodology.
  • Carbon footprint consultants who want to work at product and organisation level.
  • Ecodesign specialists integrating environmental data into product development.
  • Corporate sustainability officers responsible for environmental reporting.
  • Verifiers of environmental product declarations.
  • Researchers in energy sustainability.
  • Engineering or science graduates aiming to enter the energy sector.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ISO 14040:2006 (LCA principles and framework)
  • ISO 14044:2006 (LCA requirements and guidelines)
  • ISO 14067:2018 (carbon footprint of products)
  • UNE-EN 15804 (environmental product declarations for construction products)
  • UNE-EN 15978 (assessment of the environmental performance of buildings)
  • ISO 14064-1:2018 (organisational greenhouse gas inventories)
  • Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ecodesign for sustainable products)
  • Recommendation (EU) 2021/2279 (environmental footprint methods)
  • openLCA
  • SimaPro
  • GaBi (Sphera)
  • One Click LCA
  • Python (Brightway2)
Syllabus

12 modules · 1900 h

  1. 1.1Origins of life-cycle assessment
  2. 1.2Cradle-to-grave approach
  3. 1.3Applications in engineering and energy
  4. 1.4Ecodesign and life cycle
  5. 1.5Circular economy and life cycle
  6. 1.6Attributional and consequential LCA
  7. 1.7Limitations of LCA
  8. 1.8Life cycle in European policies
  9. 1.9Communicating results
  10. 1.10Case study: critical reading of a published LCA
  1. 2.1ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
  2. 2.2Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)
  3. 2.3Product category rules
  4. 2.4EN 15804 environmental declarations
  5. 2.5ISO 14067 carbon footprint
  6. 2.6ISO 14025 type III labels
  7. 2.7ILCD handbook guidelines
  8. 2.8Critical review according to ISO 14044
  9. 2.9Verification requirements
  10. 2.10Practical exercise: defining the goal and scope of a study
  1. 3.1Defining the goal
  2. 3.2Defining the functional unit
  3. 3.3System boundaries
  4. 3.4Cut-off rules
  5. 3.5Allocation of burdens
  6. 3.6System expansion
  7. 3.7Assumptions and limitations
  8. 3.8Required data quality
  9. 3.9Intended audience of the study
  10. 3.10Workshop: functional unit for energy technologies
  1. 4.1Primary data collection
  2. 4.2ecoinvent databases
  3. 4.3Secondary and generic data
  4. 4.4Process modelling
  5. 4.5Electricity mix and how to model it
  6. 4.6Transport and logistics
  7. 4.7End of life and recycling
  8. 4.8Data quality and the pedigree matrix
  9. 4.9Inventory documentation
  10. 4.10Lab: inventory modelling in openLCA
  1. 5.1Impact categories
  2. 5.2ReCiPe and EF 3.1 methods
  3. 5.3Climate change and GWP
  4. 5.4Acidification and eutrophication
  5. 5.5Mineral resource use
  6. 5.6Human toxicity and ecotoxicity
  7. 5.7Land use and biodiversity
  8. 5.8Normalisation and weighting
  9. 5.9Interpreting results
  10. 5.10Practical exercise: comparison of assessment methods
  1. 6.1Contribution analysis
  2. 6.2Sensitivity analysis
  3. 6.3Monte Carlo simulation
  4. 6.4Scenario analysis
  5. 6.5Robust comparisons between alternatives
  6. 6.6Conclusions and recommendations
  7. 6.7Limitations of the study
  8. 6.8Critical peer review
  9. 6.9Presenting results
  10. 6.10Lab: uncertainty analysis with Monte Carlo
  1. 7.1LCA of photovoltaic modules
  2. 7.2LCA of wind turbines
  3. 7.3Lithium batteries
  4. 7.4Hydrogen and electrolysers
  5. 7.5Biomass and bioenergy
  6. 7.6LCA of hydropower plants
  7. 7.7Comparison with fossil sources
  8. 7.8Energy payback time
  9. 7.9Improvement trends
  10. 7.10Case study: LCA of wind power versus combined cycle
  1. 8.1EN 15978 for buildings
  2. 8.2Embodied carbon in buildings
  3. 8.3Construction materials
  4. 8.4LCA tools for buildings
  5. 8.5EU Level(s)
  6. 8.6LCA of transport infrastructure
  7. 8.7Carbon in civil works
  8. 8.8BIM and LCA integration
  9. 8.9Embodied carbon targets
  10. 8.10Practical exercise: embodied carbon of a building with One Click LCA
  1. 9.1GHG Protocol Corporate Standard
  2. 9.2ISO 14064-1 standard
  3. 9.3Scopes 1, 2 and 3
  4. 9.4Emissions inventory
  5. 9.5Emission factors
  6. 9.6MITECO carbon footprint register
  7. 9.7Science-based targets
  8. 9.8Reduction plans
  9. 9.9Footprint verification
  10. 9.10Workshop: carbon footprint inventory of an industrial company
  1. 10.1Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
  2. 10.2Digital product passport
  3. 10.3Design for disassembly
  4. 10.4Use of recycled materials
  5. 10.5Circularity indicators
  6. 10.6Material flow analysis
  7. 10.7Batteries Regulation
  8. 10.8Extended producer responsibility
  9. 10.9Ecodesign cases
  10. 10.10Case study: circular redesign of an electrical product
  1. 11.1Life-cycle cost analysis
  2. 11.2Social life-cycle assessment
  3. 11.3UNEP guidelines for social LCA
  4. 11.4Integrated life-cycle sustainability
  5. 11.5Social indicators by category
  6. 11.6Supply chains and human rights
  7. 11.7Social databases
  8. 11.8Multi-criteria decision-making
  9. 11.9Integrated communication of results
  10. 11.10Practical exercise: life-cycle cost of an installation
  1. 12.1Defining goal and scope
  2. 12.2Life-cycle inventory
  3. 12.3Impact assessment
  4. 12.4Uncertainty analysis
  5. 12.5Comparison of alternatives
  6. 12.6Improvement proposals
  7. 12.7Communicating results
  8. 12.8Conclusions and future work
  9. 12.9Thesis report
  10. 12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
Methodology, software & labs

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 can be combined with work.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is openLCA, SimaPro, GaBi (Sphera), One Click LCA and Python (Brightway2), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Exercises are based on real procedures for life-cycle inventory modelling, Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis and comparisons of energy technologies. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.

Standards covered: ISO 14040:2006, ISO 14044:2006, ISO 14067:2018, UNE-EN 15804, UNE-EN 15978, ISO 14064-1:2018, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ecodesign for sustainable products), Recommendation (EU) 2021/2279 (environmental footprint methods).

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of ISO 14040, ISO 14044, ISO 14067 and EN 15804 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:openLCA, SimaPro, GaBi (Sphera), One Click LCA and Python (Brightway2), in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Master's Thesis with defence:a complete LCA study, from goal and scope to uncertainty analysis and improvement proposals, 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.

Goal and scope definition
Define the goal, scope and functional unit of an LCA study for an energy technology.
Inventory in openLCA
Model the life-cycle inventory in openLCA using primary data and ecoinvent.
Impact assessment
Compare impact assessment methods such as ReCiPe and EF 3.1 on the same system.
Monte Carlo uncertainty
Run a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis and compare alternatives robustly.
Master's Thesis
A complete LCA study with improvement proposals and communication of results, defended before a panel.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Life-cycle analystCarbon footprint consultantEcodesign specialistCorporate sustainability officerEnvironmental declaration verifierEnergy sustainability researcher
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 openLCA, SimaPro, GaBi (Sphera), One Click LCA and Python (Brightway2), 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 degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent professional experience, plus a suitable computer, an internet connection 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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