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Engineering Fundamentalss

DE4101

This online course will introduce you to the basic fundamentals of a range of engineering disciplines.

Availability

Our qualifications are delivered on either a Trimesterised or Open basis.

  • Trimesterised qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study over set periods, three times a year - Trimester 1, 2 or 3.
  • Open qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study every month throughout the year. Courses start on the first Monday of the month you select for enrolment. 

Enrolment dates

Cost

  • Course costs can be found on all course pages.  The fees may increase annually.
  • Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases. 

Credits

Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.

Delivery method

  • Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
  • Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting  assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
  • Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.

Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.

EFTS

EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time. 

One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.

Level

You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:

  • Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
  • Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.

Prerequisites

  • Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied. 
  • Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.

If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.

Student loans

Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.

Information about student loans and eligibility

StudyLink website

Study type

Our qualifications are delivered on either a Trimesterised or Open basis.

  • Trimesterised qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study over set periods, three times a year - Trimester 1, 2 or 3. Some courses may not be available every Trimester, and some may run longer than the standard 16-18 week period.  
  • Open qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study every month throughout the year. Courses start on the first Monday of the month you select for enrolment. 

Enrolment dates

Teaching weeks

Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.

For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.

Workload

The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:

Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.

Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.

  •  
    Level
    4
  •  
    Credits
    15
  •  
    Cost
    $899 NZ Domestic
  •  
    EFTS
    0.125
  • Delivery type
    Online only
  • Teaching weeks 16 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 10 hours per week
  •  
    Exam dates
    2026 Offerings
    Jun - 20 Aug 2026
    Jul - 23 Oct 2026
    Nov - 16 Feb 2027
  •  
    Prerequisites

    If you need to discuss prerequisites for this course
    contact us

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of, and apply, the fundamentals of statics, dynamics and mechanic energy concepts
  • Evaluate direct stress and strain, and derive elastic properties from tensile test results
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the engineering properties of fluids and apply the fundamentals of hydrostatics
  • Demonstrate an understanding of electrical voltage, current and resistance and explain the difference between AC and DC
  • Demonstrate awareness of the New Zealand Electricity system and describe some of its safety features
  • Demonstrate an understanding of heat energy and transfer; temperature and humidity of air

Assessment

Assessment for this course is:

  • 50% internally assessed
  • 50% examination. 

For more information about exams, including a full list of exam times go to our exam page:

Examination information

Assessment for this course includes an examination

Open Polytechnic will, subject to you meeting the entry requirements for this course/programme, enrol you in this course.

Your enrolment in the course means that you should expect to complete an in-person examination.

Find out more

 

Textbooks

There is a textbook required for this course: Engineering Mechanics by Val Ivanoff ISBN: 9780071010030

Visit our textbook page for more information.

Labs requirements

A 2 ½ day practical Laboratory held in Wellington is a requirement for this course.

Trimester 1 Laboratories will be held during the term 1 school holidays,  

Trimester 2 Laboratories will be during the term 3 school holidays.

 

Your lecturer/tutor will confirm the actual dates within the first week of the trimester, however you can click here for school holiday dates to give you a guideline for planning.

Computer and internet requirements

To complete this course you will need access to a laptop or desktop computer, reliable broadband internet connection and a data plan able to support online learning such as streaming of videos (including YouTube), downloading content, and writing and submitting online assessments. If you are unsure if your current computer or internet access allows you to complete your online learning with us, please contact us before applying to enrol.

Learn more about our online learning and study tools.

How to enrol

Before enrolling in this course you need to:

  • choose the qualification you will study the course under
  • check the order that courses in the qualification should be studied in the Qualification Structure table. This is in the Choose courses and apply tab on the qualification page.

Apply to study a programme

You can study this course as part of any of the programmes listed below.

Click on a tile to go the programme page and find out what the programme covers, how many courses you'll need to do and check the entry requirements.

From there you click 'Apply now' and start your study journey.

You can do this course as part of these qualifications:

Certificate of Proficiency
Diploma

Course availability over the next 12 months

Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov

November enrolment dates

Enrol by -
Course starts -
Course ends -
20 Oct 2026
2 Nov 2026
21 Feb 2027
Dec
2027
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul

Availability

Our qualifications are delivered on either a Trimesterised or Open basis.

  • Trimesterised qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study over set periods, three times a year - Trimester 1, 2 or 3.
  • Open qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study every month throughout the year. Courses start on the first Monday of the month you select for enrolment. 

Enrolment dates

Cost

  • Course costs can be found on all course pages.  The fees may increase annually.
  • Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases. 

Credits

Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.

Delivery method

  • Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
  • Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting  assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
  • Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.

Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.

EFTS

EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time. 

One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.

Level

You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:

  • Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
  • Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.

Prerequisites

  • Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied. 
  • Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.

If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.

Student loans

Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.

Information about student loans and eligibility

StudyLink website

Study type

Our qualifications are delivered on either a Trimesterised or Open basis.

  • Trimesterised qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study over set periods, three times a year - Trimester 1, 2 or 3. Some courses may not be available every Trimester, and some may run longer than the standard 16-18 week period.  
  • Open qualifications have courses available to enrol in and study every month throughout the year. Courses start on the first Monday of the month you select for enrolment. 

Enrolment dates

Teaching weeks

Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.

For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.

Workload

The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:

Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.

Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.

  •  
    Level
    4
  •  
    Credits
    15
  •  
    Cost
    $899 NZ Domestic
  •  
    EFTS
    0.125
  • Delivery type
    Online only
  • Teaching weeks 16 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 10 hours per week
  •  
    Exam dates
    2026 Offerings
    Jun - 20 Aug 2026
    Jul - 23 Oct 2026
    Nov - 16 Feb 2027
  •  
    Prerequisites

    If you need to discuss prerequisites for this course
    contact us