In the deterministic approach the limit equilibrium method and the finite element method are compared for 2D analysis of soil slope stability, calculating the value of the safety factor in several numerical examples. In the finite element method the region of soil under strain extension is determined and the occurrence of strength anisotropy is investigated along the potential sliding surface for situations involving different types of soil, angles of slope inclination and excavation sequences. It is concluded that the effect of the anisotropy is negligible when the angle of friction is higher than 10 degress. Moreover, due to the increasing application of the probabilistic approach in the practice of geotechnical engineering, some reliability analyses were carried out using the Monte Carlo method, the Latin hypercube method and the method of alternative point estimates, comparing their different outputs and discussing the main advantages of their application in the analysis of soil slope stability problems.