An Australian Research Council Discipline Review (1996) identified a clear shortage of professionals who are expert in human factors and those related areas that are crucial for the successful design of technological systems for effective and safe human use. At the same time the Ergonomics Society of Australia has identified a shortfall in the number of graduates emerging from specialised ergonomics programs, with an international survey of 25 federated ergonomics societies indicating strongly the need for enhanced training and education programs in ergonomics. The proposed unit forms part of a proposed Postgraduate Diploma of Human Factors and Ergonomics which seeks to remedy gaps between organisational requirements for trained Ergonomists and Human Factors practitioners and current courses being offered. This 6 point unit forms part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Factors and Ergonomics being offered part time by Distance Education mode in the first semester. The unit serves to introduce and delineate the discipline of Human Factors and Ergonomics and its systems approach to the human/machine interface. The unit serves as a prerequisite for HFE4041 Issues in Human Factors and Ergonomics.