Welcome to the

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is a creative and interactive learning environment where our students acquire the skills they need to engage critically and constructively with our society. With 14 undergraduate degree programmes and a range of postgraduate degree programmes on offer, students have the opportunity to develop as intellectually curious, independent, and informed thinkers, as well as engaged citizens.

Our research, teaching and learning, and social impact initiatives are focused on understanding the challenges of being human in an interconnected and complex world.

We are interested in human ideas, human behaviour and human creativity. We study how human beings think, reason and communicate, how we live together in families in societies, and how we design our environment, deal with information, and express ourselves in language, literature and the creative arts. We also investigate human history and consider what the future might look like, and what it ought to look like.

Our teaching and research are internationally recognised, while remaining relevant to the region, country and continent.

Our degree programmes

We offer 14 undergraduate degree programmes and a wide range of Honours, Master’s and doctoral programmes. Postgraduate students are supervised by highly rated researchers, while our Graduate School provides them with the necessary support required to complete their degrees with success.

Our research

Our Faculty boasts one DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, four NRF SARChI chairs funded by the national Department of Science and Innovation, and 79 researchers rated by the National Research Foundation (NRF). These researchers are recognised by their peers as having made a substantial and significant contribution through their research.

Our social impact

Through our social impact work, the Faculty makes a considerable contribution towards realising Stellenbosch University’s goal of becoming Africa’s leading research-intensive university producing inclusive and innovative research in service of society.

Learn more about social impact at Stellenbosch University HERE.

Why a BA degree?

Our social and political world, our environment, and the world of work are all changing rapidly. To meet the uncertainties and ambiguities of the present and future, we need knowledge workers who are able to understand and solve complex issues, interpret and analyse data, imagine and create solutions, and find meaning in our new ways of living. A BA degree will not prepare you for a single career path; it will equip you with the foundational knowledge and analytical thinking skills that are highly prized in a wide variety of workplaces, and that allows for flexible career pathways. Expect to receive a well-rounded education that will enable you to learn, grow and flourish as a person.

Graduate School

The Graduate School is an initiative of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It facilitates and administers the awarding of international postgraduate Masters and Doctoral scholarships across departments within the Faculty.

The School aims to provide a supportive space that is dynamic and collegial and that enables students to engage with research that addresses the challenges of our time.

Global partnerships

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has research networks and strategic partnerships with universities across Africa and the rest of the globe. Our partnership agreements make student and faculty exchanges and joint degrees, workshops and summer schools, short courses and other collaborative projects possible. Read more about our current partnerships HERE.

Latest News

Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium and Hennie Joubert National Piano Competition will take place from 1-7 April 2024 at The Endler Hall, Stellenbosch.

The biennial symposium aims to bring the foremost piano teachers and learners together at Stellenbosch University, for a week of lectures, public master classes and concerts. The Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium has introduced many international artists to...

Exploring Multilingualism and Mental Health Care for Migrants: Insights from an International Collaboration in Stellenbosch #MIM2M

The surge in global migration has ushered in an era of unprecedented cultural and linguistic diversity, underscoring the crucial need for comprehensive mental health care for immigrants. Migrants may be disproportionately susceptible to mental health disorders such as...

Film Festival during Language Week!

JAGVELD: 7 March, 17:30-20:30 B FOR BUSY: 4 March 16:00-18:00   🍿 Calling on all SU staff and students! 🍿 It’s movie time with SU Languages Week! Broaden your linguistic and cultural horizons and join us to watch a Mandarin Chinese or Afrikaans FILM (yes, with...

International Mother Language Day

21 Februarie is Internasionale Moedertaaldag. Het jy geweet dat jy jou moedertaal as ʼn kenniswegspringplek kan inspan? Ons gebruik almal ons moedertaal as ʼn ondersteunende raamwerk in die verkryging van kennis. Wanneer ʼn mens nuwe kennis bekom, begin jy gewoonlik met...

Department of Music- 2024 Endler Concert Series enchants with eclectic first season

The Stellenbosch University Konservatorium is proud to announce the much-anticipated start to the 2024 Endler Concert Series (Season 1), set to enchant audiences from this Friday, February 23rd, and runs until it concludes with the prestigious Stellenbosch...

Visual Arts department host the Alexander Godany art exhibition at Gallery of the University of Stellenbosch (GUS).

The Department of Visual Arts in collaboration with University of Stellenbosch Central Events & Conferencing office is hosting the exhibition by Alexander Godany, a renowned Slovakian artist. The opening function was held on Thursday, 8th February 2024 at the...

Hola learning! Spanish now on the menu at SU

Stellenbosch University (SU) reached a significant milestone with the announcement that the Department of Modern Foreign Languages will introduce Spanish to its curriculum thanks to an agreement with the Spanish government. SU adds Spanish to its curriculum, fostering...

Exhibition by Alexander Godany

EXHIBITION BY ALEXANDA GODANY You are cordially invited to attend The Opening Ceremony! Date: Thursday, 8 February 2024 Time: 12h30-15h00 Venue: Gallery of the University of Stellenbosch (GUS) cnr Bird & Dorp Street, Stellenbosch. Find out more information about...

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences warmly welcomes new cohort of enthusiastic first year students of 2024

The scorching summer heat in Stellenbosch on Thursday, 1st February 2024 could not deter the excited and enthusiastic cohort of Arts and Social Sciences first year students as they experienced their first day of Orientation 2024 at University of Stellenbosch main...

Welcome to all our First Year Students!

Warm Greetings to all! As the 2024 academic year begins, we warmly welcome our first-year students and their parents as well as next of kin at Maties. We especially welcome our new cohort of first year students at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and wish them the...

Important Notices

Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium and Hennie Joubert National Piano Competition will take place from 1-7 April 2024 at The Endler Hall, Stellenbosch.

The biennial symposium aims to bring the foremost piano teachers and learners together at Stellenbosch University, for a week of lectures, public master classes and concerts. The Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium has introduced many international artists to...

Exploring Multilingualism and Mental Health Care for Migrants: Insights from an International Collaboration in Stellenbosch #MIM2M

The surge in global migration has ushered in an era of unprecedented cultural and linguistic diversity, underscoring the crucial need for comprehensive mental health care for immigrants. Migrants may be disproportionately susceptible to mental health disorders such as...

Film Festival during Language Week!

JAGVELD: 7 March, 17:30-20:30 B FOR BUSY: 4 March 16:00-18:00   🍿 Calling on all SU staff and students! 🍿 It’s movie time with SU Languages Week! Broaden your linguistic and cultural horizons and join us to watch a Mandarin Chinese or Afrikaans FILM (yes, with...

International Mother Language Day

21 Februarie is Internasionale Moedertaaldag. Het jy geweet dat jy jou moedertaal as ʼn kenniswegspringplek kan inspan? Ons gebruik almal ons moedertaal as ʼn ondersteunende raamwerk in die verkryging van kennis. Wanneer ʼn mens nuwe kennis bekom, begin jy gewoonlik met...

Department of Music- 2024 Endler Concert Series enchants with eclectic first season

The Stellenbosch University Konservatorium is proud to announce the much-anticipated start to the 2024 Endler Concert Series (Season 1), set to enchant audiences from this Friday, February 23rd, and runs until it concludes with the prestigious Stellenbosch...

Hola learning! Spanish now on the menu at SU

Stellenbosch University (SU) reached a significant milestone with the announcement that the Department of Modern Foreign Languages will introduce Spanish to its curriculum thanks to an agreement with the Spanish government. SU adds Spanish to its curriculum, fostering...

Apply now for our 2024 Post-Graduate Diploma Programme in Applied Ethics

Confronted by ethical issues is your profession?  Enroll for a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Ethics (offered in 2024), leading to an MPhil in Applied Ethics (offered in 2025).   MPhil specialisation fields: Bioethics, Business Ethics, Environmental Ethics, Ethics of...

Call for Applications

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is pleased to announce a limited number of full-time scholarships for masters students. The following scholarship is available for 2024: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation "Turning the Tide" Masters Scholarship These scholarships are...

Open Day 2023

On campus open day: Saturday, 6 May 2023 ​​​​​On our annual on campus open day, we welcome Grade 11 and 12 learners, parents, teachers and guidance counsellors to the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campuses. Come and attend specially prepared information sessions,...

Postdoc Fellowship Available

Postdoctoral Fellowship Scope of Research: Beyond the violence of metaphysics: Ethics and globalisation at the intersection of decolonial and post-structural philosophy The main aim of the postdoctoral project is to explore the critical and fruitful intersection of...

Contact us

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Stellenbosch University
Private Bag X1
Matieland 7602

Phone: 021 808-2138
E-mail

Student Administration queries: here

Physical address: 
Arts and Social Sciences Building
Room 492
Merriman Avenue and Van Ryneveld Street​

Follow us on social media: here

 

Get in touch