Stratford Campus will become the University of Waterloo’s newest school as of July 1, 2018, with the official name of The Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.
This name change aptly reflects the remarkable growth of the Stratford Campus programs – from only 16 students to a population of over 600, and growing at a rate of 20 percent per year. These programs include the Bachelor of Global Business and Digital Arts and the Master of Digital Experience Innovation, both of which will form the core of this new school within the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts.
“As a School and a new unit in the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts, we will be well placed for further growth and excellence,” says Christine McWebb, Director of the Stratford Campus.
This announcement comes just shortly after the campus celebrated their 5-year anniversary – a journey of extraordinary success. The proof is in the accomplishments and accolades of the students: the creator of the Canada 150 logo, a top prize-holder in Communitech’s Code/Design to Win competition, a shortlisted competitor for the Hultz Prize, and, most recently, shortlisted competitors of the Royal Society of Arts Student Design Awards.
Toping that, perhaps, is the impressive employment rate for Stratford’s alumni at 91 percent, with companies like Amazon, Google, Scotiabank, Telus Digital, Deloitte and many of Waterloo’s home-grown success stories.
18 faculty members and 11 staff shape unique academic experiences, which focus on human-centered interaction design through creative exploration, critical thinking and design research to create positive technology-enhanced user experiences.
The future Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business represents the convergence of technology, design and business that perfectly responds to emerging and future industry demands, evident within our Region’s innovation ecosystem.