Seneca Polytechnic


Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, branded as Seneca Polytechnic since 2023, is a multi-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate, and graduate levels.

History

Seneca opened in 1967 as part of a provincial initiative to establish an Ontario-wide network of colleges of applied arts and technology providing career-oriented diploma and certificate courses as well as continuing education programs to Ontario communities. The province was responding to the increasing need for sophisticated applied learning as technology continued to change the nature of work and the provincial economy. General education was considered an important element in post secondary education, and breadth courses continue to be a part of every program. In 2001, the colleges were granted the ability to offer baccalaureate degrees. Seneca is one of five Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning that can offer up to 15 per cent of its program activity at the degree level.

Campuses

Seneca has campus locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area and in Peterborough.

Newnham Campus

The Newnham Campus is one of the largest college campuses in Canada. It has more than 15,000 full-time students in business, engineering, aviation, early childhood education, fashion, opticianry, information and communications technology, and liberal arts. The campus, initially known as Finch Campus, was renamed in 1984 after founding president William Thomson Newnham, and is also the site of continuing education activity during the evenings and weekends. The campus includes a 1,113-bed residence, sports centre, and daycare centre. It is located west of the intersection of Highway 404 and Finch Avenue East.
The campus's first building was opened in 1969 and has involved various architects ; John B. Parkin ; Abram, Nowski, and McLaughlin ). In 1973 a domed planetarium was added to the Phase 3 section of the campus, but it has since closed.
In fall 2011, a expansion, designed for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, was officially opened at the campus. The new building, designed by Craig Applegath of Dialog, features three 80-seat classrooms; twenty-three 40-seat classrooms; fourteen 40-seat computer labs; a multi-purpose auditorium for 240 students that can be turned into a conference room or two 120-seat lecture halls; increased computing commons and library space; several new areas of collaborative student study and work space; a new "front door" for the campus; and improved campus access for people with disabilities. The atrium in the new space was named after Frederick Minkler, Seneca's first chair of the board of governors.
In 2019, Seneca's Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship opened at Newnham Campus. CITE includes Seneca's innovation centre known HELIX, technology labs for mechatronics and robotics courses, and computer labs and classrooms. CITE is infused with Indigenous design, the highlight of which is a diameter medallion in terrazzo rendered from an original work by Joseph Sagaj.

Seneca@York

Seneca@York Campus, located on York University's Keele Campus, includes the Stephen E. Quinlan Building, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama and named after Seneca's third president Steve Quinlan. Seneca also shares the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building with York University. Several schools are located at this campus, including the Schools of Creative Arts and Animation, Media, Biological Sciences and Applied Chemistry, English and Liberal Studies, and Legal, Public and Office Administration.

King Campus

King Campus is located on of woods, lake and fields in King City. It is home to full and part-time programs in Applied Arts, Health Sciences, and Community Services; which include Public Safety, Nursing, Social Service Worker, Child and Youth Care, Behavioural Sciences, Early Childhood Education, Environmental Landscape Management, Recreation and Leisure Services, Underwater Skills, and Veterinary Assistant and Veterinary Technician. There is a residence for Seneca students on campus. Seneca Residence is a suite-style building for about 230 students with a lounge, laundry room, and common kitchen.
Eaton Hall, the former summer home of the Eaton family, is on the shore of Lake Seneca. Eaton Hall is the former home of Seneca's Management Development Centre, and has also been the setting of several films, including David Cronenberg's A History of Violence, Richard Benjamin's Mrs. Winterbourne, and William Fruet's Death Weekend.
In June 2011, the Government of Ontario announced a $43 million project to expand services at the campus, including a new building with 25 classrooms, a library, computer services, and health care training laboratories. The project became Magna Hall, a facility that officially opened on 27 September 2018. Named in recognition of a significant gift from Magna International, it includes 25 classrooms, computer labs, specialty labs, a library, a student centre and a multi-purpose athletic and recreation space.
A part of the campus at the northwest corner of Dufferin Street and 15th Sideroad will house a community centre for King City. The township of King will lease the land for $1 per year for 99 years.

Markham Campus

Markham Campus opened in 2005, becoming the first post-secondary education facility in the city of Markham. The campus houses full and part-time programs in the areas of business, marketing, and tourism, as well as the college's departments of Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology Services. Since 2011, the campus has been home to the Confucius Institute.
In 2020, Seneca International Academy was established within Markham Campus for international students. The academy offers dedicated services for international students.
In October 2024, a press release stated that Seneca Polytechnic would temporarily close the Markham campus at the end of 2024, transferring program resources to the Seneca@York or Newnham campuses.

Peterborough Campus

in Peterborough is the home of Seneca's aviation campus, including a fleet of aircraft and flight training devices used by students enrolled in the Bachelor of Aviation Program. Opened in January 2014, in response to the pending closure of Buttonville Airport, the campus serves the second, third and fourth years of the degree program, while first-year students study at Newnham Campus. Some courses and services at the Peterborough Campus are offered in partnership with Fleming College.
As of September 2025, Seneca's fleet consists of 19 aircraft: fifteen Cessna 172 and four Beechcraft Barons.

Seneca Downtown

Opened in October 2019 and located in downtown Toronto, Seneca Downtown provides in-class, online and hybrid courses for post-secondary graduates and working professionals. Seneca's Downtown campus has been permanently shut down, there were no media releases from Seneca officially.

Yorkgate Campus

Open since 1994, Yorkgate Campus serves as an access and outreach centre for the Jane-Finch community, Yorkgate also offers post-secondary programs including, since 2013, Practical Nursing and Social Service Worker. The facility is located on the second floor of the Yorkgate Mall at Finch Avenue West and Jane Street in Toronto. As of 2024, Seneca Yorkgate operations are indefinitely suspended, and programs have been moved to other campus locations.

Former locations

Seneca's first homes from 1967 to 1969 were various buildings in North York:
Other former Seneca Polytechnic campuses include:
  • Jane Campus home to Seneca's Centre for Advanced Technologies. Students studying at the campus pursue careers in the areas of Tool Design, Computer Numerical Control, and Metals Machining Trades such as Tool & Die Maker and Mould Maker. The building is located at 21 Beverly Hills Drive in Toronto and can be seen from the westbound collector lanes of Highway 401. Seneca's Jane Campus closed in May 2019.
  • Vaughan Campus officially opened its doors on 28 January 2011, at 1490 Major Mackenzie Drive West, in Vaughan. It offered services including academic upgrading, employment services and workplace essential skills training for professionals, as well as a centre for entrepreneurship. The campus closed in March 2020.
  • Newmarket Campus offered Employment Ontario services and access to resources and information. Programs at this location included employment counselling, job search workshops, job development services, and computer skills training. Academic upgrading was offered in the day and evening. The campus was located in Nature's Emporium Plaza, 16655 Yonge St. in Newmarket.
  • Yorkdale Campus on Dufferin Street, south of Lawrence Avenue West in North York, was home to the Travel and Tourism program from the 1980s to 2000. Formerly C.B. Parsons Junior High, it is now home to Fieldstone Day School. The building was owned by the North York Board of Education and is now owned by the Toronto District School Board.
  • Markham Information Centre located at the northeast corner of McCowan Road and Highway 7. The office later relocated to 6061 Highway 7 east of Markham Road.
  • Buttonville Campus located at the Buttonville Municipal Airport housed Seneca's aviation program from 1968 to 2013. The aviation program later relocated to Peterborough Airport.
  • Don Mills Campus located in a former IBM building at 1380 Don Mills Road in North York. Don Mills Campus opened in 1991 and housed the School of Computer Studies and Financial Services Department.
  • Gordon Baker Campus located at 155 Gordon Baker Drive, Unit 102. Gordon Baker Campus opened in the early 1990s and was home to Seneca's real estate program. Computer training was also offered.
  • Caledonia Campus located at 1200 Lawrence Avenue West in Toronto. Caledonia Campus opened in 1986 and offered English as a Second Language and summer language programs. Caledonia once housed Seneca's English Language Institute.
  • Fairmeadow Campus located at 17 Fairmeadow Avenue in North York. Fairmeadow Campus housed many of Seneca's administrative functions including accounting, purchasing, personnel and media services. Fairmeadow was also home to Seneca's Suzuki School of Music which instructed students in the Suzuki Method from 1974 to 1991. Formerly Fairmeadow Public School from 1951 to 1981.
  • School of Communication Arts located at 1124 Finch Avenue West in North York. The School of Communication Arts opened in the fall of 1987 and was dedicated entirely to creative and communication arts.
  • Dufferin Campus located at 1000 Finch Avenue West in Downsview. Dufferin Campus opened on 8 September 1975 and was the headquarters of the Business and Industrial Training Division. The campus also housed facilities for the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assistant programs.