Theatre and Drama Studies Ends Joint Programming with Sheridan
Starting September 2026, students will receive a degree solely from UTM and will need 14 credits to graduate
Starting in the Fall term of the 2026-2027 academic year, the Theatre and Drama Studies (TDS) program, which was previously offered alongside Sheridan College, will be offered solely at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). Incoming students will find an updated curriculum with a completion requirement of 14 credits, up from 12. Current students of the TDS program will not be affected by this change.
Sheridan College is legally obligated to allow students currently enrolled in the program the opportunity to complete their degrees. Therefore, the joint program will continue as is for the next three years for those students. In an interview with The Medium, Professor Holger Schott Syme, who is also Associate Chair and Director of Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies, said, “[For] anyone who is currently a theatre student in the joint specialist, nothing changes. They’re still taking the same classes at Sheridan and at UTM as they would’ve before.”
Professor Syme added that those who may be affected by these changes are the current students who, for whatever reason, fail to complete their studies in the three-year window. These instances will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and the university “will figure out a solution that allows you to meet the same learning outcomes and to have a comparable educational experience.”
According to the TDS website, incoming students under the new curriculum will be guided by adjunct professors who have a long-standing relationship with Canadian theatre companies. The studio and production courses will be taught by film and theatre professionals with active careers in the industry.
As for the increase in mandatory credits, Professor Syme explained that the university made this change to more accurately reflect the hours students spend on studio courses. “Right now, they’re at Sheridan all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So that’s twelve hours a week, and they still only get a half credit.” For the new TDS program, studio courses will be twelve-week long and weigh a full credit.
Another addition to the program is a mentorship system. Every student in their fourth year will be paired with a TDS graduate who is working in the theatre and television/film industries. Professor Syme talked about his views and hopes for this system, “We have a large and diverse pool of people […] I hope that by the time our students get to fourth year they have some idea of who they are as artists, what’s important to them, and what they want to do.” He also intends to try to make this system available for the students enrolled in the joint program.
While unfortunate for the three-decade-long relationship between Sheridan and UTM, Syme believes these changes to the TDS program to be good news. “If you read any news coverage of arts programs, performing arts programs, at the college and the university level in Ontario over the last two or three years, it’s all been stories of cancellation, phasing out, and shrinking.”
Mads Carrick, president of the UTM Musical Theatre Club said, “Sheridan phasing us out is an unfortunate reality when extreme budget cuts to colleges across the province hit.” Carrick added that she’s grateful for Sheridan and all their work, as well as UTM’s efforts to keep the program alive. “The faculty has been our rock through hearing this news, and they are doing everything they can to ensure the program remains successful on all fronts.” She concluded by expressing her excitement to see the wonderful training incoming first-years will experience.
