UndergraduateMusic & Performing Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Properties and Objects)
National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Sydney, NSW, Australia
About this program
This course is now marketed by NIDA as the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Props and Effects), a rename from the older Properties and Objects title still carried in this database, though the underlying CRICOS-registered qualification is the same. It is one of only a handful of dedicated undergraduate degrees anywhere in the world for prop-making and practical effects, training designer-makers across metalwork, woodwork, mould-making and casting, scenic art, puppetry, electronics, 3D modelling and digital fabrication.
The course is pitched at the broader entertainment and events industries as much as theatre: past graduates have gone on to Creature Technology Company, Weta Workshop, Disney Studios, The Masked Singer, Mad Max Films, Lego Masters Australia and Aardman Animations. It runs 3 years full-time on campus, driven by an experimentation-led, 'thinking through making' approach across conceptualisation, analysis, proposition and execution, mentored by NIDA staff and industry partners.
Entry is by merit selection through an online application with a digital portfolio, followed by an interview for shortlisted applicants.
Fees & duration
English test scores
Verified nida.edu.au ↗
Course structure
Study plan in 4 parts
- Artefacts and Narratives
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Graphics and Textures
- Post-digital Design and Fabrication
- Encountering Performance
- Winjara
- Applied Environmental Storytelling
- Characters
- Costumes and Narratives
- Contexts for Performance
- Practical Effects for Performance
- Effects and Screen Workflows
- Professional Practice
- Experimental Art Movements and Practice
- Student Led Project
- Independent Research Project
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Professional Practice
- 3 years full-time
- on campus
Admissions
NIDA's general entry requirements (Year 12 completion or equivalent, minimum age 18 by 31 March of first enrolment year, evidenced interest in the performing arts) plus course-specific selection: an online application with a digital portfolio (Round One), followed by an interview for shortlisted applicants (Round Two). International applicants must also complete a Genuine Temporary Entry (GTE) interview.
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