Computers and Safety (CASA)

This course will cover a range of topics including:

• Introduction to safety critical software
• The principles of software safety assurance
• Safety analysis of software systems
• Software safety requirements
• Software architectures and design
• Software implementation
• Verification and validation of software
• Software safety cases
• Software safety standards

This course is taught in a blended format. Course teaching will consist of three days of face-to-face sessions on campus, taking place from Tuesday to Thursday of the teaching week at the University of York. The on-campus teaching will include lectures as well as extensive group exercises where you will have the opportunity to apply what you have learned through case studies. Students will also be provided with self-study materials totalling up to 15 hours of study time. These materials will comprise of work to be completed before the on-campus sessions in York, and materials to be studied afterwards.

Following the taught element, students have an opportunity to complete an assessment. The assessment is completed remotely, and is expected to take around  65 hours to complete including additional reading. The assessment for this course comprises coursework. The assessment is compulsory for students who require the module to be credited towards a degree award.

The key dates for this course in the 2025/26 academic year are as follows:

Registration closes: Friday 06/02/2026

Preparatory materials released: Friday 20/02/2026

Face-to-face teaching: Tuesday 03/03/2026 - Thursday 05/03/2026

Booking Conditions

• Acceptance onto a short course is at the agreement of the course leader. They will want to assure themselves that you have the relevant level of background knowledge. You may therefore be asked to provide a CV detailing your knowledge / experience in particular areas.
• Course fees quoted include all relevant course materials, tuition and examinations, lunch and refreshments.
• A completed booking form with Purchase Order or payment is required no later than one month before the course starts, or immediately for bookings made within one month of the beginning of the course.
• Fees are payable to The University of York. 
• Fees are payable to The University of York.
• Payment can also be made by credit or debit card.

Cancellations

We regret that a fee must be charged when confirmed bookings are cancelled or transferred to future dates. In the event of a cancellation, you may nominate a substitute
(acceptance of this substitution is subject to academic and availability conditions). If a suitable substitute cannot be found the following scale of charges will apply:

• 56 days or more before the programme starts ‐ full refund
• 55 days or less ‐ 50% refund
• 28 days or less ‐ 25% refund
• 14 days or less ‐ no refund

Transfers to a postgraduate award

Students who attend any short course(s), and subsequently choose to undertake a full MSc, Diploma or Certificate will be entitled to some credit of the fees already paid, which can be used towards the cost of the full award. The credit a student is entitled to is calculated as follows:

You should apply for your chosen postgraduate award after taking no more than 40 credits of modules. All components, including modules taken as SCSE short courses, must be taken within a five year time period.

We reserve the right to amend published information.

Before you make your booking, please ensure that you have read our booking conditions.

Please complete the Short Course Booking Form.

If your employer will be paying for your training and you would like us to raise an invoice, please complete the Short Course Payment Form.

To pay online by card payment please complete the Short Course Payment Form and make a payment online. 

If you have any questions please contact cs-safety-courses@york.ac.uk.

You can attend this module as a short course on a stand-alone basis. This module also forms part of the following postgraduate courses:

• MSc in Safety Critical Systems Engineering
• Postgraduate Diploma in Safety Critical Systems Engineering
• Postgraduate Certificate in Safety Critical Systems Engineering

If you successfully complete the course and assessment your results can count towards the completion of the Masters, Diploma or Certificate award. To use the course towards a postgraduate award in this way, you must complete the assessment at the same time as you take the module (you will not be able to take the assessment at any other time). All components of your chosen postgraduate award, including modules taken as short courses, must be completed within a five year time period.