ABSTRACT The study assessed the effect of job design on work stress among the academic staff in selected private universities in Kampala-Uganda on four specific objectives namely: (1) to determine the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of gender. Age, marital status, education level, position, and experience; (2) to determine the degree of job design in selected private universities in kampala-Uganda (3) to determine the level of work stress among the academic staff in selected universities (4)to establish whether there is a significant relationship between job design and work stress among the academic staff. The research employed a descriptive correlation survey design; used SAQ to collect data from 257 respondents, a sample size determined using the sloven’s formula. Data analysis was done using SPSS’s frequencies and percentages, means and PLCC. The findings showed that there is a relative gender balance between male and female, the majority were single, were in the age bracket of 26-29, had experience of 1-3 years , and had a masters degree. The degree of job design was found to be low, while the level of work stress was high. It was there after revealed that there is a significant relationship between job design and work stress among the academic staff. The researcher recommended adjustments in the workloads, organizational policies such as pay and staff adjustments like promotions and dismissals needed to be improved, and employees needed to be engaged in issues that affect them. Basing on the job characteristics theory that guided the study, it was proved that job design has a significant impact on work stress.