Stellenbosch University

Division of Forensic Medicine

The Division of Disability & Rehabilitation Studies (DDRS), situated within the Department of Global Health, provides specialised postgraduate programs on disability studies and rehabilitation studies and the interface between the two fields to professionals with varied backgrounds including but not limited to health, humanities and social sciences. Our approach is interdisciplinary, focusing on co-construction of knowledge and critical leadership development to enhance the management, evaluation, and research of effective disability inclusive policies, services and systems.

Situated in the department of Global Health, within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, our division collaborates closely with various government ministries and organisations of persons with disabilities. We actively contribute to disability-related curricular development, advocacy and transformation in the faculty and across the University.

Contact us 
[email protected]
+27 21 938 9090 

Physical address
Tygerberg Campus
Francie van Zijl Drive 

“We provide specialised postgraduate programs on disability studies and rehabilitation studies and the interface between the two fields to professionals with varied backgrounds”

Our programmes

Postgraduate Diploma in Disability and Rehabilitation

The PG Diploma in Disability and Rehabilitation focuses on strengthening and deepening knowledge and theoretical understanding of disability and rehabilitation, with the aim of promoting the development of current thinking, response and practice in disability and rehabilitation studies.

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences Rehabilitation

Our PhD will be of interest to researchers and other professionals from a host of disciplines in the humanities and health sciences (e.g. psychology, political studies, sociology, anthropology, education, philosophy, rehabilitation disciplines, medicine, nursing, public health, and many more), as well as all other fields concerned with disability as an issue of social justice, inequality, identity and inclusion (e.g. law, engineering, information technology and human resource management).​

Master of Rehabilitation Studies

This unique course will be of interest to persons who are involved in rehabilitation, e.g. Doctors, Nurses Physio-, Occupational-, and Speech Therapists, Social Workers, Clinical Psychologists etc. The approach is Interdisciplinary with the emphasis on the development of leadership skills to facilitate development, management, evaluation and research into appropriate and cost-effective rehabilitation and disability-related programmes.