The Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, operating as Sheridan College (or simply Sheridan), is a public college with three campuses in Oakville, Brampton, and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Founded in 1967, Sheridan is known for academic programs in creative writing and publishing, animation and illustration, film and design, business, applied computing, and engineering technology, among others. The Davis Campus in Brampton is its original location and its largest campus by student enrolment. Sheridan's administration is based at the Trafalgar Campus in Oakville, and the newer Hazel McCallion Campus was opened in Mississauga City Centre in 2011.
History Founding Sheridan College was established in 1967 and named for the hamlet of Sheridan (established in 1858 and named for British playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan) on the border of Peel and Halton County (Winston Churchill and QEW). Sheridan's first home was at the old Brampton High School on Centre Street North between Church Street East and McCaul Street. The School of Graphic Design was located in Brampton, Ontario until 1970, when it moved to the new campus in Oakville, Ontario. The Brampton campus was a converted public high school that had previously been in condemned status until re-fitted for use by Sheridan College. The school and area were subsequently replaced by residential homes. The new Oakville location was still under construction when classes began in the fall of 1970. The classes were held in a large open area under triangular skylights which allowed excellent lighting for the students. The photography department used a well equipped photo studio area and darkrooms for processing film and prints. That building has become merged with many other structures as extensive expansion of the campus has occurred on an ongoing basis. The main courses taught that year were graphic design, fashion design, photography and animation.
Contributions to animation In the 1960s and early 1970s, the Canadian animation industry was little formed and virtually non-existent, excepting animation pioneers of the National Film Board, and such Canadian studios as Crawley Films in Ottawa and The Guest Group in Toronto, a group of creative companies owned and run by Al Guest.
The Canadian animation landscape began to change in the late 1960s with Rocket Robin Hood, a Canadian animated series produced by Al Guest and his partner Jean Mathieson. In 1968 President Porter organized the school's first course in classical animation, even though at the time there was little evidence of demand for graduates. The school took advantage of the closing of Al Guest's studio following the production of Rocket Robin Hood and were able to buy up the cameras, animation and editing equipment. Subsequently, Guest and Mathieson served as creative advisors to Sheridan and hired a number of Sheridan graduates as key personnel for their new studio Rainbow Animation.
In 1984, Sheridan student Jon Minnishttps://www.sheridancollege.ca/alumni/profiles/jon-minnis created the short animation piece Charade. The five-minute film was animated by Minnis with Pantone markers on paper during a single three-month summer term at Sheridan College. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 57th Academy Awards. As Sheridan's animation department continued to grow, it produced hundreds of animators into Canadian and international studios, at one point in 1996 being called "the Harvard of animation schools" on "a worldwide basis" by animator Michael Hirsh. A significant number of graduates have held key positions at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Don Bluth Productions, Pixar Animation Studios, and DreamWorks Animation, both for traditional and CGI animation. Sheridan graduates include seven Academy Award nominees and two winners, including Domee Shi, the first woman to direct a Pixar animated short.
Animation faculty and alumni have also been recognized at the Emmy awards, including animation professor Kaj Pindal and alumni Jim Bryson, Bobby Chiu and Adam Jeffcoat.
In June 2018, animation alumnus Jon Klassen was named to the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to children's literature. Klassen is the author and illustrator of the award-winning book, This is Not My Hat.
In 2018, Sheridan's animation program celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding. Today, the program aims to foster the same innovative and creative spirit in its current students as it did 50 years ago. Students now earn a four-year Bachelor's Degree in Animation, and post-graduate programs in Computer Animation, Visual Effects and Character Animation are also available.
In 2019, Sheridan was ranked as the top animation school in the world outside the United States by Animation Career Review.
In 2024 Sheridan College's dependence on international student enrolment was blamed for the cancellation of 40 programs and major layoffs.
Unsuccessful bid for university status Former President Jeff Zabudsky announced in 2012 that Sheridan College would seek to become a university by 2020. The college began implementing several changes to meet the non-binding criteria of a university as set by Universities Canada including: the establishment of an academic senate to set policy, increasing the number of degree-level courses, and increasing the number of instructors with master's and doctoral degrees. The college appointed former Mayor of Mississauga Hazel McCallion as its first chancellor in 2016.
In 2018, it was announced that Sheridan will open a new campus in Brampton in partnership with Ryerson University (now named Toronto Metropolitan University). The campus will be located on south-east corner of Church Street West and Mill Street North in Brampton. The new campus will focus on delivering programs in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). However, this plan was cancelled in 2019.
In 2019, under the leadership of President Janet Morrison, the college unveiled a new five-year strategic plan that sets out a new vision for Sheridan: to bring together key elements of colleges, polytechnics and universities to create a new, standard-setting model of higher education.
Focus on International Students
In the late 2000's Sheridan began focusing on increasing international enrolment. By 2010 roughly 10% of college enrolment were foreign students. Over the next six years Sheridan added over 4,500 more, raising the percentage of international students to nearly 30% in 2016-17. The increase led to community concerns regarding housing, access to healthcare and food insecurity. In the following six years the college enrolled an additional 5,591, the eighth highest number for Canadian post-secondary institutions in 2022-23.
The rise in human trafficking in Brampton, particularly targeting international students, led Sheridan to raise the issue with students as early as 2019. In 2021, it was reported "the top brass at Sheridan College" refused to acknowledge the risk of human trafficking to international students. In 2022, the college produced a webinar to educate faculty and staff that Sheridan campuses are located in human trafficking "hot spots", created a human trafficking resource handout for their students and worked with community services on human trafficking initiatives. In 2024, Brampton City Council passed a resolution aimed at tackling human trafficking of international students in their City, with reporting naming Sheridan as a popular destination. Mayor Patrick Brown in October first acknowledged the issue publicly, noting that Brampton has the highest number of international students in the country, while asking for federal and provincial help. Months later Indian authorities alleged widespread human trafficking of international students.
Academics Faculties Sheridan is composed of four academic faculties in addition to its Continuing and Professional Studies programs. Its faculties are: Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies Faculty of Applied Science and Technology Pilon School of Business
Programs The college has more than 130 programs leading to degrees, certificates, diplomas, and post-graduate diplomas. Sheridan College has a music theatre performance program, undergraduate and post-graduate film programs, and a craft and design program. They have courses in business, animation, illustration, applied computing, engineering technology, community studies, and liberal studies, among others. In 2012, art and design programs within Sheridan's Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design were recognized by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) to have "substantially equivalent" membership status. (NASAD's nomenclature for non U.S. members) Sheridan is only the second art institution in Canada to achieve this status.
Sheridan has long been partnered academically with the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) and offers a joint dual degree program known as Art and Art History, where students earn both a diploma from Sheridan and degree from the University of Toronto. From the year 2000 to 2021, Sheridan offered a joint program in Communication, Culture, Information and Technology (CCIT) with UTM, however it moved exclusively to the university in 2024. Until 2026, Theatre & Drama Studies was offered as a joint program but likewise moved to UTM exclusively after 32 years of partnership due to academic restructuring at Sheridan. Students in joint programs can take the UTM Shuttle Bus to and from Sheridan's Trafalgar Campus.
Research and entrepreneurship centres
Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies (CAMDT) The Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies (CAMDT), located at the Brampton campus, is a 40,000 sq. ft. facility housing highly specialized manufacturing and design equipment. CAMDT allows Sheridan and its industry partners to collaborate on addressing challenges in the manufacturing sector, while developing graduates with the skills and practical knowledge to make an immediate and positive impact in the workplace.
Centre for Elder Research The stated mission of Sheridan's Centre for Elder Research is to enhance quality of life for older individuals, by developing, testing, and implementing new and realistic solutions to improve the day-to-day experiences of elders and their families. In 2018, the Centre was awarded $178,856 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to further explore how emerging technologies, such as virtual reality tools, can be leveraged to enhance the health and well-being of older adults residing in congregate living facilities such as long-term care homes.
Screen Industries Research and Training Center (SIRT) Opened at Pinewood Toronto Studios in 2010, Screen Industries Research and Training Center (SIRT) is a digital media sound stage and post-production facility that focuses on 2D and 3D stereoscopic production processes. SIRT was conceived and launched by Sheridan College to operate in connection to the creative industries and three levels of the Canadian government. The Center's stated mission is to conduct high-level research on film, digital cinema, and high-definition technologies in all levels of production and display. The University of Waterloo announced in July 2010 that funding was awarded for joint research between their film department and SIRT.
In 2013, SIRT was designated as the first digital media Technology Access Centre in Ontario, supported through funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's (NSERC) College-Community Innovation program. In 2018, this funding was renewed for an additional five years to support further applied research and industry collaboration at SIRT.
Centre for Mobile Innovation (CMI)