Overall Information

The College of Social Sciences (CSS) was established in 1978 following the reorganization of Addis Ababa University (AAU).  Over the years since its establishment, CSS experienced some changes that often resulted from the departure and inclusion of certain units.  In 1990, the Departments of Accounting, Economics, and Management and Public Administration left the CSS to form the Faculty of Business and Economics as a separate entity. As a result, the number of departments under the College decreased from eight to five. With the rapid expansion of the remaining departments, the CSS continued to maintain prominence within AAU and the country at large. The 2008 division of the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology into two departments, the launching of the new department of Archaeology and Heritage Management in 2009 (separating from its host, the Department of History), and the 2012 inclusion of the School of social Work and the Center for African Studies significantly changed the profile of the CSS, which now runs many undergraduate and graduate programs.

With its rich experiences, expanding graduate programs, research undertakings by faculty and graduating students, publications, and networking, the College of Social Sciences is well prepared not only to advance the horizon of knowledge in the broader academic realm but also contribute to national development efforts, trans-cultural understanding, and meeting other challenges of the 21^st Century.