Creative thinkers perform here. They compose here. They build and design here. We're one of the world's leading performing arts academies. And no matter how talented you might be already, we'll challenge you to become even better. Because we know that creativity has no limits.
Includes best ranking for undergraduate teaching quality, skills development, learning resources and student support.
QILT is an independent Australian government survey.
ECU is one of the best unis in Australia for teaching. We've had 18 straight years of 5-star ratings in the Good Universities Guide to prove it!
Our postgraduate students have rated us 5 stars for their overall experience in the latest Good Universities Guide. More 5-star ratings included: skills development, student support and teaching quality.
We're ranked one of the world's best universities under 50 years old, and we've already established a global reputation for such a young institution.
In extremely competitive fields, the employment record of WAAPA graduates is outstanding and well-attuned to the needs of the industry.
WAAPA designers, arts management and production graduates are highly sought after, and many hold influential positions across performing arts companies, festivals, venues, film, television, major events, arts organisations and teaching institutions.
At WAAPA you can choose a degree specialising in a particular area, such as a Bachelor of Arts (Acting) or a Bachelor of Arts (Arts Management).
In some cases you can choose a specialisation within a degree. For example, you can specialise in Classical Vocal, Classical Instrumental, Composition and Music Technology, Jazz or Contemporary Music within a Bachelor of Music degree.
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If you already know what you're interested in, choose a discipline.
Our future student events include a mix of on-campus and online sessions designed to help you decide what to study at ECU.
If you prefer paper over pixels, please download one of our guides.
Experience Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at ECU.
Music Auditorium
Roundhouse Theatre
Props and Scenery Workshop
'The Edith' Spiegeltent
Scholarships recognise those whose life journey may have been challenging, as well as students who've shown outstanding academic excellence and endeavour.
A scholarship can help you realise your ambitions by paying for fees, text books and living expenses.
Just two years after finishing his WAAPA training, Production & Design graduate Christian Peterson is now touring the world as a sound engineer with Cirque du Soleil.
After graduating, Christian worked full-time as a sound technician on festivals, concerts and theatre shows in Perth and around Australia. After scoring a gig on the Perth leg of the Cirque du Soleil show, Kooza he was offered the tour of Australia, New Zealand and Dubai with the Cirque show, Toruk.
Christian then spent several months in Montreal, Canada – where Cirque is based – designing and building the arena version of Corteo. He is currently touring North America with Corteo. Nice work we say!
Do you have any questions about the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts study area?
WAAPA taught me all about music and what it takes to be a professional singer
My undergraduate course at WAAPA gave me fundamental music skills and knowledge. History lectures and invaluable theory classes set me up to recognise musical context and structural understanding. These three years were the years I fell in love with music. The Graduate Diploma taught me that there were more elements to being a singer than I had ever imagined. This was the year I began to discover what opera and art song really could be. WAAPA helped set me up for my time overseas and prepared me with specific tools for my craft. In particular, role preparation and research, and stage confidence and exploration. It also allowed me to gain efficient learning skills when presented with new music, especially in other languages.
WAAPA has led to opportunities I would never have thought realistic three years ago
This is largely thanks to the incredible work of the staff who go out of their way to help each student realise their ambitions. The most rewarding parts of the course, so far, for me have been devising and performing a solo piece, working with James Berlyn on Memory Bones at His Majesty's Theatre. And also the study tour to the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore in early 2017.
If you're interested in writing, directing, performing and/or running your own theatre company, this is the course for you.
The highlight of my WAAPA experience was working on shows; they're all student run, so students can 'take it and make it yours'
I really enjoy the mix of creative and technical work that's involved in sound engineering. Some days I'm behind the console mixing a show, and other days I'm rigging the speakers, making cables and loading trucks. Sound is very subjective and we all respond to it differently; if an audience walks away applauding and happy, then that makes it all worth it.
Luckily, I'm now working with Cirque du Soleil, surrounded by a great team, with people from all around the world!
Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.
There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.
Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.
Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.
Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.
