Choose the training that fits your creative work.
You may want to deepen your own practice, prepare to teach, or pursue assessed professional certification. NMCA offers three ways to study the same body of work: Certification, the NMCA Award of Training Completion, and the Artist Track.
The comparison below sets out how they differ. When you know which one interests you, ask us for the current program guide for that track.
Three ways to train
NMCA Certification
For artists and educators who want sustained mentorship and their work assessed. Certification combines intensive training with ongoing guidance, journals and reflection, and a capstone evaluated by NMCA master teachers. You earn Certification by meeting its requirements; attendance alone does not guarantee it.
Tracks: Teacher · Actor · Director · Designer
What you receive
NMCA Certification in your track, once the assessment requirements are met. Certified artists receive a personalized page on the NMCA website, authority to represent NMCA, and promotion and referrals from NMCA. NMCA cannot guarantee a number of referrals or any employment. On your CV, list it under professional certifications.
NMCA Award of Training Completion
For artists and educators who want recognition for completing the required training and practice. Complete three intensives for your chosen track and three live online Practice Sessions with peers. No journal or assessed capstone is required, and there is no fixed completion time frame.
Tracks: Teaching · Acting · Directing · Design
The Award does not confer a Certified professional designation or authority to represent NMCA.
Artist Track
Join our intensives and gain the same depth and breadth of training in a freelance form, with no ongoing commitments. Register and pay for each program as usual. Although it is not a separate credential, the Artist Track is a perfect way for artist educators to take part in our training. Online membership is highly encouraged, though not required.
Compare the commitments
| What matters to you | NMCA Certification | NMCA Award of Training Completion | Artist Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Assessed professional Certification in your chosen track | Recognition of completed training and practice | Train through the programs you choose, with no ongoing commitments |
| Intensive attendance | 2 CTIs and a capstone for teachers; 2 CTIs and a DBD for actors, directors, and designers, plus documentation. Request your full track guide. | Three intensives. Teaching takes two CTIs plus either a third CTI or a DBD. Acting, directing, and designing take two CTIs plus a DBD. | Register for the intensives or other programs you want to attend, subject to each program's participation requirements. |
| Hours | 144 to 184 in-class hours, plus your capstone. Each CTI is 62 hours. Deeper-by-Devising is a minimum of 40 hours. Your track guide sets out the full pathway. | 166 to 188 hours in total, including the three 30-minute Practice Sessions. Each CTI is 62 hours; Deeper-by-Devising is a minimum of 40 hours. | Each CTI is 62 hours. Deeper-by-Devising is a minimum of 40 hours. Other programs have their own schedules. |
| Mentorship and feedback | In-person practice session feedback, sustained mentorship, and capstone challenges review are part of the assessed pathway. | Three live online Practice Sessions include peer feedback. In-class Master Teacher mentorship is part of the teaching and practice offered in each program you attend. | In-class Master Teacher mentorship is part of the teaching and practice offered in each program you attend. |
| Between intensives | Take part online a minimum of four times per year and keep an ongoing NMCA online membership. | Complete three 30-minute online Practice Sessions during NMCA monthly workouts and keep an ongoing NMCA online membership. | Free from requirements. Online membership is highly encouraged. |
| Written work and capstone | Journals, documents, and a faculty-preapproved capstone with live presentation and video documentation. | No required journals or capstone. | None. Attending through the Artist Track adds no credential requirements. |
| Completion timing | We recommend completing within 3–4 years. This is a guideline, not a fixed timeline. If you need to step away, ask about pausing your candidacy. | No fixed completion time frame. Options as short as 6–15 months depend on completing all requirements. | Follow the schedule of each program you register for. |
| What you receive | NMCA Certification in your track, once the assessment requirements are met. Certified artists receive a personalized page on the NMCA website, authority to represent NMCA, and promotion and referrals from NMCA. NMCA cannot guarantee a number of referrals or any employment. On your CV*, list it under professional certifications. | The NMCA Award of Training Completion in your track. It does not confer a Certified professional designation or authority to represent NMCA. On your CV*, list it under continuing or ongoing education, not professional certifications. | Training in each program you attend. The Artist Track is not a credential, and no Certification or Award comes from it alone. You can list the programs you attend under training or continuing education on your CV*. |
* The CV placements listed above are suggestions. Details for appropriate credential representation is present in the program documents and enrollment agreement.
Training, fees, and next steps
The Chekhov Training Intensive brings practical work in the technique into teaching, acting, directing, and design. Each CTI is 62 hours of training. Your total requirements and costs depend on the programs and pathway you choose.
The CTI fee category for Certification & Completion Award Tracks is $1675. This is a CTI fee, not a quote for the full credential pathway. Check current registration details for the programs you plan to attend, and ask NMCA about all applicable course, membership, and track requirements before you enroll.
Refine options & compare choices
If you are also looking at training outside NMCA, it helps to put the programs side by side. Our comparison worksheet already has NMCA's answers filled in for Certification, the Award, and the Artist Track. The remaining columns are for the other programs you are considering: write each one at the top, then fill in what you learn from its published materials or by asking it directly.
Leave a box blank until you have checked it; a blank is not a No. Mark Yes, No, or Not yet confirmed, and note where each answer came from. There is no score, and no single best choice for everyone.