New Zealand Certificate in Exercise (Level 4)

• Working with others to provide exercise advice
• Gym Instructor 
• Personal Trainer (after completing our New Zealand Certificate in Exercise Level 5). 

• Open entry - no minimum academic entry requirements.
• If English is not your first language, you must provide:
  • New Zealand University Entrance OR
  • Overall Academic IELTS 5.5 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
  • Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.

Covid-19 vaccination information

At present, in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, it's highly recommended that you are vaccinated against Covid-19 if you want to apply for this programme. 

All health sector organisations engaging health care workers have obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to take all reasonable steps to eliminate, or otherwise control, the risk of Covid-19 transmission in the workplace. 

While the New Zealand Government has not currently mandated the vaccine for frontline health care workers, there is no guarantee that this will stay like this. Many of the health care providers we work with are requiring their staff, including any students on placement, to be vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination.   

As more providers follow suit, if you are unvaccinated or if you choose not to disclose whether or not you are vaccinated, or to provide evidence if asked, this will have an impact on healthcare placements that are allocated to you as part of your undergraduate health programme and may have an impact on you being able to successfully complete the programme.

All students will need to wear Otago Polytechnic branded clothing when they are working with clients or are out with industry. We also ask all learners to have a laptop or tablet that they can use for classwork. 

Full-time students will be expected to study for 36 hours per week. This will include directed teaching, self-directed learning and industry experience hours. If you choose to study part-time, you will need to study for around 16 hours per week. 

Applied Exercise Prescription (Level 4, 15 credits)

• Learn how to apply and adapt the fundamentals of exercise prescription to meet the needs of a client. 

Applied Anatomy and Physiology (Level 4, 15 credits)

• Gain an understanding of human anatomy and physiology and how it applies to movement. 

Professional Practice 1 (Level 4, 15 credits)

• Discover how to apply professional practice principles of working in the exercise industry. 

Exercise Science 1 (Level 4, 15 credits)

• Learn how to explain behaviour in relation to nutrition and exercise. 

To become a Personal Trainer, you will need to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Exercise (Level 5). Our Bachelor of Applied Science degree will then enable you to advance your learning further and explore the areas of Exercise, Sport and Health to expand your career prospects. 

Student loans and allowances are for domestic students only. For information about student loans and allowances please visit the Studylink website. It is important to apply for your student loan/allowance at the same time as you apply for this programme, due to the length of time Studylink take to process. Loan/allowance applications can be cancelled at any time if you decide to withdraw your programme application or if it is unsuccessful. 

While every effort is made to ensure that this sheet is accurate, Otago Polytechnic reserves the right to amend, alter or withdraw any of the contained information. The fees shown in this document are indicative ONLY. Both domestic and international fees are subject to change and are dependent on the development and implementation of Government policies. Please note that additional fees may from time to time be required for external examination, NZQA fees and/or additional material fees.

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