The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is a vibrant and diverse academic community, recognised for our excellence in research, teaching and creative practice. Through our 18 departments, thirteen research centres, more than 70 NRF-rated researchers, four SARChI Chairs, and a National Centre for Excellence in Scientometrics and Science Policy, we engage with the pressing social, cultural, political, technological and creative questions of our time. Rooted in Africa and globally connected, our work addresses challenges central to South Africa and the world — from social justice, governance and multilingualism to digital transformation, sustainability and the creative economy. Across the humanities, social sciences, languages and creative arts, we generate new knowledge, foster innovation and help shape a more just and sustainable future.
Contact us:
Phone: +27 21 808-2138
E-mail: [email protected]
Physical address:
Arts and Social Sciences Building, Room 492
Merriman Avenue and Van Ryneveld Street
Undergraduate programmes
We offer 14 Bachelor degree programmes that equip students with the knowledge, skills and versatility to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Our graduates are creative, discerning, highly skilled and sought-after employees who thrive across sectors, from journalism, digital media and policy development, to data analysis, education, and the creative industries.
Postgraduate programmes
Our postgraduate programmes combine rigorous, research-led teaching and supervision across all departments and research centres, facilitated by the FASS Graduate School.
Research and innovation
Our research is strategically positioned to shape global conversations about technology, society and culture. Twelve transdisciplinary research clusters bring together researchers, civil society and industry partners. Our commitment to context-aware, transformative inquiry makes FASS a leader in Africa-centred research with international reach.
Faculty stories
Institutional news
Public Squares bring spaces between academic disciplines to life
Stellenbosch University (SU) has set itself an ambitious goal: to be “Africa’s leading research-intensive university, globally recognised as excellent...
Media release
Press Freedom celebration calls for moment of reflection
Maintaining audience trust and building relationships are key to the continued resilience of journalism in the face of sustained threats.
This was one of the...
Media release
Journalism alumni awarded SA Akademiepryse
Two alumni of the Department of Journalism are winners of the prestigious Academy Awards for 2026.
On 22 April, the South African Academy of Science and Arts...
Opinion and features
Rethinking our freedom in a time of climate crisis
South Africans celebrated Freedom Day on 27 April. In an opinion piece for the Cape Argus, Dr Gibson Ncube from the Department of Modern Foreign Languages draws...
Opinion and features
Multilingualism breaks down language barriers
Mother-tongue instruction and learner success, investment in African languages, the voices of young people in multilingual education, and English dominating the...
Institutional news
SU leads continent in research output, new QS ranking shows
If the inaugural QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings (WUR): Sub-Saharan Africa is anything to go by, Stellenbosch University (SU) is well on its...