CUL9104 Leadership and Governance examines models of governance within the context of the cultural sector, and how Board and executive leadership intersects with sound governance to realise organisational and creative goals.

CUL9104 Leadership and Governance provides a comprehensive examination of the legal, organisational and operational frameworks of cultural organisations will be investigated through perspectives of power, values and ethics. This subject assesses and analyses the styles of leadership of cultural organisations, and how cultural organisations are governed, including the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors and their relationship to the Senior Executive Team and the organisation as a whole.

Placing the arts and cultural sector in context, the subject delivers a comprehensive review of the components and attributes of leadership within a range of social and institutional structures. Further, it examines major leadership theories and leadership styles, key competencies and outcomes and applies critical analysis and judgement to review individual leadership preferences and behaviours of the participating student cohort.

The cohort will assess and determine the essential characteristics of leadership necessary to build resilience and maintain a priority focus through times of uncertainty and challenge.

Recognising the importance of cultural leaders as front-line advocates for the sector, you will learn to articulate complex ideas with clarity, confidence and credibility across multiple media - written, live, and recorded. Storytelling structures and principles will be taught by practising professionals to assist you to create engaging presentations. You will also learn to lead and facilitate groups in creative dialogue, employing techniques for fuelling and directing conversations.

Workshops will support you to assess and develop individual communication styles and competencies through practicing interactive scenarios, presenting to camera, exploring techniques to develop vocal and physical presence, networking and engaging in techniques of persuasion. Practical work will be underpinned by examination and critical analysis of major communication theories and evaluation of case studies of successful communicators and advocates. You will assess and determine those elements that will enhance your own abilities as leaders to articulate ideas, to advocate for the arts and cultural sectors, and to influence outcomes.

This subject introduces you to a diversity of research frameworks that directly support and inform your practice within the arts and cultural sectors, underpinned by academic research protocols including ethics. A variety of research strategies will support you in a multimodal approach to your investigations around practice, with a focus on methods inherent in practice-based research. In this subject, you identify a research topic and design to support your chosen research project, applying the methods and processes you have explored in order to generate new findings. The key concept behind Generating Research Through Practice is praxis: the interdependency of theory and practice with one mutually informing the other. The subject culminates in a research output related to your practice.

Cultural Policy and Practice covers both the practice of cultural policy and planning, and its relationship to arts and cultural practice. It reviews public policy theory and analyses cultural policy from international and national levels to local community planning. It takes into account the contributors to the cultural policy and planning cycle: policy makers, planners, university researchers, independent think tanks, industry leaders, arts and cultural organisations and individual artists.

This comprehensive approach provides a diverse panoply of experiences and perspectives. including exploring whose voice is included and whose is excluded.  It enables the identification and analysis of policy characteristics and offers a hands on approach to developing and implementing policies and plans. It compares and contrasts the key attributes of the Australian model with approaches from the international arena, with particular reference to contemporary developments in the Asia Pacific region.

The conditions and drivers of contemporary society are in a state of rapid transformation. It is not only important that arts and cultural leaders stay abreast of these challenges, we have the opportunity to lead the transformation of this dynamic global environment.

There are several areas of transformation that this subject will focus on; who is leading organisations and the necessity to have diversity in positions of power; the imperative of the arts to provide access to cultural activity to a broad range of society; and how the arts intersect with environmental substantiality.

CUL9101 Cultural Transformation and Sustainability will give students a theoretical and practical scaffold that can be applied to their own leadership. Students will investigate change implementation, entrepreneurship and sustainability. The subject requires students to draw on case studies from the sector and personal experiences, in order to review current practices and make recommendations for change. The subject culminates in the articulation of a nuanced argument detailing the students own professional recommendations on an area of the arts and cultural sector requiring transformation.

CUL9106 Communications and Advocacy recognises the importance of cultural leaders as front-line advocates for the sector.  You will develop the skills and strategies to promote effective arts advocacy arguments and campaigns. You will learn how to analyse and evaluate advocacy arguments and campaigns; analyse case studies drawn from a range of media contexts; and develop effective campaign practice and strategical skills.

CUL9107 Evaluation Methodologies for Cultural Leaders will build on the research methodologies that you will have engaged with in other course subjects (including practice-based research, social impact studies and systems analysis).

You will engage in applied research with a particular focus on social research techniques and theory, including the efficacy of measurement metrics.  It will foster evaluative thinking and offer opportunities for you to work with others in the cohort on co-designed research approaches.

The International Case Study is a unique opportunity for you to deepen your knowledge and frame of experience through an immersive period of work experience overseas. You are encouraged to undertake a placement in an area of the arts and cultural industry that will challenge you beyond your immediate practice.  The key objective of the placement will be to undertake a defined case study of an aspect of leadership within the host organisation. The case study will be framed by bespoke learning objectives and outcomes defined to enhance leadership capacity. The experience will include the delivery of a case study report as the outcome of action research. The case study, its core research question/s and the methods to be used will be negotiated in advance, in consultation with you and your nominated host organisation.

Domestic and international students are required to pay tuition fees by the due date each semester.

The tuition fees are reviewed each year and if you enrol you are liable for the additional tuition costs if the tuition fees rise during the course of your enrolments.

Domestic Students

Domestic students are Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and New Zealand citizens.

Prospective students: Download the Domestic Graduate Student Fee Schedule 2023

International Students

Fees and financial assistance vary for international students see International Students for full details.

Domestic tuition fees overview

Domestic tuition fee details

Year 1, 2023

Year 2, 2023

*The tuition fees are reviewed each year and you are liable for the additional tuition costs if the tuition fees rise during the course of your enrolment.

** EFTSL – Effective Full-Time Study Load: indicates the relative study load of a subject against a full-time study load of 1.0 for an academic year. For consistency the EFTSL** have been rounded to 3 decimal places. This is not indicative of the full value of the EFTSL but represents an accurate load for fee calculations.

The Cultural Leadership course is structured to enable students to participate through in-person intensives and online learning. All students will also undertake an international case study during the final six months of the course. NIDA will make a financial contribution towards international engagement opportunities when travel, accommodation and related costs are to be incurred.

Online Component

Online learning and teaching will take place between the intensives. Students need to be available to engage on a regular basis and will be required to equip themselves with the necessary technology to participate. Master of Fine Arts (Cultural Leadership) students may participate in online sessions via video-conferencing or in person at the Kensington campus. (One intensive per year may be delivered interstate.)

Internet Speed

Use a broadband connection (256 Kbit/sec or faster—this will ensure that you can view videos and online presentations) through USB wireless modem, ADSL, T1/T2, fibre optic or cable.

Internet Browsers

Compatible browsers include:

• Google Chrome 32 bit version 38 or later (recommended for optimal compatibility, this has been thoroughly tested on Windows)
• Safari 8 or later (recommended for optimal compatibility, this has been thoroughly tested on Mac)
• Mozilla Firefox 35.0 or later

Note that add-ons and toolbars can affect any browser's performance. MS Internet Explorer is not recommended.

Collaborative Online Platforms

Please note that students may need to utilise enterprise collaborative tools from within the Google+ suite. Students will be issued user accounts for use in these instances.

Intensives

Intensives are arranged as four four– and five–day periods each year and all students must be available to participate for the full period (including evenings as required).

Travel and accommodation to attend intensives is at the expense of the student.

During on campus intensives students will have access to the graduate school and all facilities that are provided to all NIDA graduate students.

Information Technology Recommendations

Students are required to have access to a Laptop (Windows 10 and later), MacBook (Mac OS 10.15 Catalina or later) or a Tablet (less than three years old with wireless facility). All the devices should comply with 5ghz (dual band). All notebooks should be secured with a Kensington lock to help prevent theft.

For file transfers and data backup, it is advised to use the Microsoft OneDrive storage provided by your NIDA Account, for optimum video processing (if required by your subject) on your computer (Laptop/MacBook/Desktop etc.) a 1GB dedicated graphics card is recommended but not compulsory.

Luminis Foundation Indigenous Fellowship in Cultural Leadership

NIDA is pleased that through the generosity of the Luminis Foundation, we can offer the Luminis Foundation Indigenous Fellowship in Cultural Leadership for each annual intake. This Fellowship will support the successful applicant by funding 50% of their MFA course fee.

Lynne Williams Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Leadership

Lynne Williams was CEO/Director of NIDA between 2008 and 2016 after an already successful career in education and theatre. In 2019, Lynne was recognised for her work in the performing arts with an appointment as a Member to the Order of Australia.

The NIDA Foundation Trust recognises Lynne’s contribution through an annual award for a graduating MFA (Cultural Leadership) student who has achieved at a consistently high level across all subjects, presenting work that was insightful, considered, well-researched and highly articulate.   The award money of $5,000 is to be used by the recipient towards further professional development and/or further international opportunities.

There is no maximum age restriction for any NIDA undergraduate or graduate course.

Due to the large number of people being auditioned/ interviewed, it is not possible for NIDA to provide individual feedback, either orally or in writing. However, the audition/ interview are learning experiences, particularly through the opportunity in the auditions to observe the presentation of audition pieces by other applicants and any redirection suggestions provided to you or other applicants by members of the audition panel.

Interview conditions will depend on your course. They may be in-person or over Zoom, in which case a Zoom link will be provided to you prior to your interview.

Final selections are made for each course by mid-December when study offers will be distributed to successful applicants via email.

Please note applicants who do not make it through to the recall stage for Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) and Master of Fine Arts (Directing) courses have not been successful for the 2022 intake.

Yes, NIDA grants credit for formal study undertaken in recognised higher institutions in Australia, including universities, colleges, TAFE and other post-secondary education institutions and for study at recognised overseas institutions, where the applicant has met the learning outcomes, attained the knowledge and/or developed the skills relevant to a specific subject. An application for credit must be submitted and approved prior to commencement of the course. For further information see NIDA’s credit transfer policy.

Due to the highly competitive nature of NIDA’s admissions process, you must enrol for the year for which you have been offered a place. You cannot defer acceptance of a place. If you want to enrol in a subsequent year, you will need to apply again the following year and go through the interview process again. There is no guarantee that you will be offered a place next time.

Application for leave of absence by continuing students must be made in writing with reasons to the Head of Course for consideration and recommendation to the Director/CEO. Approval for leave of absence can only be granted by the Director/CEO and only under exceptional circumstances.

In addition to cancellation of enrolment for non-payment of tuition fees, a student’s enrolment at NIDA can be suspended or cancelled on the grounds of misconduct.

See NIDA student policies for more information. 

NIDA is pleased that through the generosity of the Luminis Foundation, we are able to offer the Luminis Foundation Indigenous Fellowship in Cultural Leadership at annual intake. This Fellowship will support the successful applicant by funding 50% of their Master of Fine Arts (Cultural Leadership only) course fee.

NIDA does not offer other scholarships that cover the cost of tuition fees.

NIDA students, who are Australian citizens, are able to access FEE-HELP loans for assistance with their tuition fees. For more information on FEE-HELP loans see www.studyassist.gov.au or the ‘Fees’ tab on individual course pages.

The Master of Fine Arts courses are not approved courses for students to receive Austudy, Youth Allowance (student) and Pensioner Education Supplement through Centrelink. Master of Fine Arts students enrolled in a full-time course are eligible to apply for a NIDA scholarship.

NIDA offers full-time students the opportunity to apply for financial assistance (scholarships) at the beginning of each year to assist with living costs. The bursaries are made available through the generosity of donors to NIDA and from bequests. Bursaries are paid on a fortnightly basis during the NIDA year, with the value of individual bursaries in 2019 ranging from $1,600 annually to $4,000 annually, depending on need and the year and course of study. Bursaries are only available to students currently enrolled at NIDA in full-time courses.

NIDA welcomes applications from international students. While there is no quota for international students, there are limited numbers of students in each course.

Students must be proficient in written and spoken English, with international applicants required to have an English language proficiency equivalent to an overall band score of IELTS 8.0 for Acting, Directing and Writing for Performance, or IELTS 7.0 for other higher education courses. Information on IELTS and testing centres in your country is available at www.ielts.org.

International applicants who are short-listed for the Acting course after the recall audition must provide evidence of their English language capability by the end of the first week in December in order to be considered in the final selection process. International applications for other courses should bring evidence of their English language capability to their interview.