• Confidently direct live theatre productions with expert embodied knowledge in preparation, structuring, rehearsing, and staging methodologies.
• Transform and extend directing methodologies to engage with diverse artistic mediums that span live performance, screen, digital narratives, event direction, curation, and artistic directorship.
• Demonstrate expert-level collaboration skills, built upon clear communication, emotional intelligence, empathetic leadership, and ideation practices.
• Articulate a unique directorial voice and employable brand which showcases a clear sense of cultural context, social responsibility, personal politics, aesthetics, philosophy, and creative potential.
• Use practice-based research skills to generate new insights about directing practice.

The duration of the MFA course is 18 months and comprises seven subjects with 180 credit points in total, with the lead subject Directing Practice (50 credit points) as the focal point.

Students will need to reside in Sydney and be available on a full-time basis from late January to early December of the first year, and January to March of their second year. In the final three months (April to June), students complete their research project and engage in an industry experience or placement. It is normally not essential that students reside in Sydney during the final three months of the course, but some attendance in Sydney may be required during this period.

Students are at NIDA from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm from Monday to Friday. During non-project weeks, Friday afternoons are free. During production terms, students may also be required for rehearsals after hours and on weekends.

Additional time needs to be allocated to library work, research, preparation for classes and private study. For this reason, it is difficult for NIDA students to maintain regular part-time jobs. Studying at NIDA is a big commitment, so students need to manage their time and resources carefully.

2027 Key Dates

Download the 2027 Calendar

Download the 2026 Calendar

Teaching Periods exclude public holidays. View 2027 NSW public holiday dates.

NIDA graduates are nationally and internationally recognised and have gone on to win prestigious awards, including several AFI Awards, Australian and international film festival awards, Sydney Film Critics’ Awards, Directors’ Guild Awards, the Prix Italia Award for Directing, Helpmann Awards and Sydney Theatre Awards.

Our graduates have been employed by Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, Melbourne Theatre Company, Opera Australia, Schaubühne Berlin, Royal Court Theatre (London), Bazmark (Baz Luhrmann) Films, Warner Bros. Entertainment and more.

Potential careers

Theatre director, opera director, film and television director, artistic director, rehearsal director, event director, director in digital environments (interactive, video, game design), immersive experience director.

Entry is by merit selection.

General entry requirements for accredited postgraduate courses are as follows:

• Have completed an undergraduate degree (in any area) or have five years relevant experience in a related area.
• Be proficient in written and spoken English.

Applications are encouraged from domestic applicants who:

• Identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Applications are encouraged from international applicants who:

• have successfully completed a Genuine Temporary Entry (GTE) interview.
• have an English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 7.0 with no band score less than 6.0.

Recognition of Prior Learning is an assessment process that involves assessment of an individual’s relevant prior learning (including formal, informal and non-formal learning) to determine the credit outcomes of an individual application for credit.

NIDA may grant credit for:

• Formal study undertaken in recognised education institutions in Australia, including universities, colleges, TAFE and other post-secondary education institutions and for study at recognised overseas institutions.
• Credentialed courses provided by recognised professional bodies, employers and other authorities, where appropriate certification is available; and
• Prior learning, where such learning can be sufficiently evidenced.

The principles underlying the assessment of credit transfer/Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applications are that the policy and procedures are:

• Aligned to the Higher Education Standards Framework and the Vocational Standards for RTOs.
• Designed to maintain the integrity and reputation of NIDA’s accredited courses for which credit or RPL is applied and support the collaborative nature of NIDA’s conservatoire training model.
• Consistent, equitable, transparent, and accountable.
• Based on processes of comparable standard and integrity to those used to assess the relevant subject.
• That students are not disadvantaged in achieving the expected learning outcomes for the course of study or qualification.

NIDA Recognition of Prior Learning Policy

Apply for RPL/Credit Transfer

Domestic students with overseas qualifications must supply certified translations of their qualifications.

We select applicants who demonstrate commitment, capacity and willingness to advance their practice by:

• Working creatively
• Collaborating as part of a creative team
• Demonstrating a range of relevant skills and technical abilities
• Providing evidence of intellectual enquiry and reflection within their work
• Communicating clearly

Original Work Requirement (All Applicants)

All submitted work must be your own original creation, including writing, design, performance, and any supporting material.

The use of Artificial Intelligence to generate or substantially develop any part of your submission is not permitted. This includes (but is not limited to) ideas, written text, imagery, design outcomes, dialogue, or performance content.

You may use research, reference material, and feedback to inform your work; however, the final submission must clearly reflect your own thinking, creative development, and decision-making.

Submissions that do not meet this requirement may not be considered for assessment.

Applying to this course will involve:

Round One: Online Application and Portfolio
Round Two: Online Interview (shortlisted  applicants only)
Round Three: Recall Audition (shortlisted applicants only)

View our Course Specific Application Requirements for a detailed breakdown of what to include in your online application and what to expect if you progress to Round Two or Round Three of the application process.

View Course Specific Application Requirements

Applicants MUST apply online via the NIDA application portal.

View details about how to complete your online application as well as key dates and timelines.

View Details on How To Apply

NIDA is committed to making its education and learning more accessible to the most creative and talented individuals across Australia with a range of scholarships aimed to remove financial barriers, providing students with the opportunity to study at NIDA while being relieved of some of the cost of living, relocating and study expenses.

NIDA scholarships are made available by the generous support of donors, sponsors, corporate partners, trusts and bequests, through the NIDA Foundation Trust, and enable a significant increase in financial assistance to ongoing and students commencing study in 2027.

Scholarship applications for 2027 will open in early October. Learn more about our Scholarships.

The table below gives an indication of the educational backgrounds of the 2026 commencing postgraduate MFA cohort.

It should be noted that as selection and admission to courses at NIDA is based on merit the statistics below may not be indicative of the educational backgrounds of commencing cohorts on a year-to-year basis.

L/N – Low numbers: the number of students is less than 5.