The Department of Economics and Commerce was established by the Board of Governors in February 1964, and began to offer courses within the Faculty of Arts leading to B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees when the University opened in 1965. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the fields of economics and commerce.

The Department expanded rapidly in size, growing from an initial 5 faculty members in 1965 to 52 in 1979. During this period it had greatly expanded its program offerings, including the important addition of a Master of Business Administration program in 1968. In September 1979 the Department underwent a re-organization, when it was subsumed by the new School of Business Administration and Economics in the Faculty of Arts. The School consisted of two departments: Business Administration and Economics. The School existed only until November 1981, when a separate Faculty of Business Administration was established. The Department of Economics has continued to exist in the Faculty of Arts.

The Department was administered by a Chair and departmental committees, whose number and composition changed over time. The Chair was responsible for the overall administration of the Department, and reported to the Dean of Arts. In addition to its departmental committees, the Department adopted in 1969 a Constitution and By-laws for its Graduate Program in Economics. It stated that the Program would have three committees: the Graduate Studies Committee, the Curriculum Committee, and the Admissions Committee.

The Department of English was established by the Board of Governors in April 1964, and began to offer courses within the Faculty of Arts at the Bachelor level when the University opened in 1965. The Department's offerings were expanded with the addition in 1966 of a Master's program and in 1974 with the approval of a Ph.D. program. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the field of composition and English-language literature. An adjunct to this function was its responsibility to help in the development and instruction in non-departmental programs such as Women's Studies, Fine and Performing Arts, Canadian Studies, and the Humanities minor program.

The Department's activities included participation in University and external associations and committees, and the organization of and participation in conferences. Several faculty members were involved in the publication of literary journals. These include West Coast Review, which began in 1965 and later became independent of the Department; Line, edited by Roy Miki and devoted to the University's Contemporary Literature Collection; and Tessera, a feminist journal edited by Kathy Mezei. In 1990, West Coast Review and Line were joined to form West Coast Line.

The Department was administered by a chair and a number of standing committees, as laid down in a Department constitution in 1968. In the formalized Department Constitution approved 1 August 1975, the Chair was responsible for the overall administration of the Department, which included "The devising and apportioning of the budget; The assignment of teaching duties, with the advice of the Graduate and Undergraduate Curriculum Committees; Calling and conducting Departmental meetings; Mediating all disputes within the Department; [and] Initiating course grade appeal procedures."

The number of Department committees changed greatly over time. In 1965 the Department consisted of five standing committees which had an advisory role: Curriculum (ad hoc), Appointments, Promotions and Salary Increases, Library, and Invited Speakers. There were also loosely organized committees of those teaching each first- and second-year course, usually chaired by the lecturer. By 1968 the number of committees had expanded to ten to include: the Policy Committee; Steering Committee, which was the chief advisory body to the Chair; Honours Committee; Teaching Evaluation Committee; Student Load Committee; Search and Selection Committee; Graduate Admissions Committee; Undergraduate Studies Committee; and West Coast Review, responsible for the publication of the journal.

In the Constitution of 1975, it stated that the Department would consist of four elected and two non-elected standing committees. Those elected committees included the Graduate Curriculum Committee, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Departmental Tenure Committee, and the Appointments Committee. Those appointed committees included the Library and Invited Speakers committees. After 1975, a Composition Committee was also struck.

The Department of Women's Studies at SFU has its roots in the political climate on campus during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some students and faculty expressed a desire to participate in research on women and the development of feminist theory. In the fall of 1971, the first course to focus on women—Geography 404: the Geography of Gender—was offered to 40 students. At the same time, SFU faculty members began to develop and participate in a series of non-credit courses relating to women's issues. As a result of the success of both Geography 404 and these non-credit courses, a proposal for a Women's Studies program was drafted. In 1975 this proposal was presented by Andrea Lebowitz and Margaret Benston to Senate and approved.

The Women's Studies program was established within the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, and offered its first course in 1976. The program was administered by the Women's Studies Coordinating Committee, which was responsible for hiring, course development, and other administrative details. The Coordinating Committee was composed of Women's Studies faculty members, elected student representatives, and associated faculty teaching in the program.

In 1985, when the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies was eliminated, the Women's Studies program was placed in the Faculty of Arts within the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. Also in the 1980s, the Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Chair in Women's Studies was founded, a role that includes teaching, public speaking engagements, the organization of conferences, and the invitation of distinguished speakers. And, in 1985, the MA program was established and admitted its first students.

The 1990s brought further developments: the introduction of a certificate program in 1990; departmental status in 1991; the offering of joint majors, with English in 1991 and with Psychology in 1992; and the approval of Women's Studies as a major in 1994. Political Science and Sociology/Anthropology joint majors were added in 1997.

In 2000, the department introduced a course-based MA, followed by additional joint majors with Criminology, History, and Humanities in 2001. A PhD program was established in 2004, and a Gender Studies minor was added to the undergraduate program in the same year. By 2007-2008, there were 775 students enrolled in Women's Studies undergraduate programs and courses, with a further 23 students in the MA and PhD programs. As of 2008, there are six full-time faculty members, four faculty who are jointly appointed with another department, eight faculty from other departments who serve as associate members of the department, three professors emeritae, one adjunct faculty member, and one endowed professor. Three staff members are also employed by the department.

The Department of Geography was established by the Board of Governors in 1965 as one of the original Departments in the Faculty of Arts. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the broad fields of Human and Physical Geography. In 1965, the Department consisted of five faculty members and offered six undergraduate courses in the areas of economic, social and physical geography. Subsequent additions to its degree program offerings were a M.A. and Ph.D. in 1966, a B.Sc. in Physical Geography in 1978 and M.Sc. in 1981. The latter two degrees were both through the Faculty of Science. In 1979, the Department had 21 faculty. Members of the Department have also been involved in interdisciplinary programs with other departments and faculties, including the Master of Natural Resource Management Program in Applied Science; the Canadian Studies Program in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies; the Institute for Quaternary Research; and the Latin American Studies Program in the Faculty of Arts.

The Department was administered by a Chair and a number of standing committees. The Chair was the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities included the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the Department to external bodies. The number and composition of departmental committees varied little over time. In a draft Constitution of 1969, there were nine standing committees: Undergraduate Studies, Graduate Studies, Library, Accommodation and Equipment, Budget, Appointments and Guest Lecturers, Salaries and Promotions, Cartographic Services, and Tenure. By 1990, the Resources Committee had replaced the former Accommodation and Equipment and Cartographic Services Committees; and the Departmental Tenure Committee had replaced the Salaries and Promotions Committee. Ad hoc committees, such as the Chairman's Search Committee, were also formed.

The Department of History is one of the original Departments of the Faculty of Arts, and began to offer courses leading to a B.A. when the University opened in 1965. The Department's offerings were expanded with the addition in 1966 of M.A. and Ph.D. programs. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the field of history. An adjunct to this function was its responsibility to develop and provide instruction in programs offered outside the Department, including the Canadian Studies, Graduate Liberal Studies, Humanities Minor, and Women's Studies Programs. The Department also had institutional links with the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies and the French Department. It also acted as an advisory body for the History Department of Fraser Valley University College.

The Department's activities included participation in university and external associations and committees, the organization of and participation in conferences, and involvement in the publication of International History Review.

The Department was administered by a Chair and standing committees. The Chair was the chief academic and administrative officer, responsible for all administrative, fiscal and academic activities of the Department. The number and composition of Department committees changed greatly over time. The Revised Constitution of 1969 listed seven standing committees: Salary, Tenure and Promotion; Appointments; Grievance; Library; Faculty-Student Liaison; Graduate Studies; and Undergraduate Studies. There were also a number of ad hoc committees, including the Chairman's Search Committee, the Goals and Implementation Committee, and the Nominating Committee.

The Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics was established by the Board of Governors in 1965 under the name of the Department of Modern Languages. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the discipline of languages and linguistics. Initially, the Department offered a B.A. program in four language divisions— French, German, Russian, and Spanish— or in linguistics. In 1966, a M.A. in Linguistics was introduced, followed in 1967 by a Ph.D. program. The curricula developed and expanded steadily and by 1970, language courses consisted of three sections: the language itself, linguistics, and literature. While the French and Spanish programs expanded, the German and Russian divisions had smaller enrollments and faculty allocations were reduced. In 1974, an M.A. (Teaching French) program was added and in 1980 the French Language Training Centre was opened. In 1978, the Department was renamed Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, and in 1989 it was disbanded. Upon its dissolution, the Department was replaced by the Departments of French, Linguistics, and Spanish and Latin American Studies. All other language instruction, including Chinese, Hindi, Italian, Latin, and Swahili, was moved to the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies in the Faculty of Arts.

The Department was initially organized administratively into a Chair, four sub-departments or divisions (French, German, Russian, and Spanish), and a number of standing committees. The Chair was the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities included the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the Department to external bodies. While the Chair had overall responsibility to the Department and the Dean of Arts for the efficient operation of the Department, most decisions were made at the committee level with major issues referred to departmental meetings. The Departmental Assistant was responsible for much of the day-to-day administration of the Department, which included the management of the departmental budget, the scheduling of courses, the provision of liaison with administrative offices, and advising students.

The number and composition of departmental committees varied over time. In 1966, there were eleven committees, including the Departmental Advisory, Scholarship, Library, Graduate Studies, Curriculum, Journal, Promotions, Projects, Amerindian, Teaching Experiments and Textbook, and Laboratory committees. There were also departmental meetings under the name of the Plenary committee. By 1969, the number of committees had been reduced to four, including the Committee of Chairmen, Graduate Studies, Tenure, and Salaries. The number of divisions within the Department had also expanded to five to include Linguistics, and each of these bodies conducted its own meetings under the leadership of a director who reported to the departmental chair. At the time of an external review in 1975, the significant change to the committees structure was the addition of a Committee of Chairmen -- consisting of the Department Chair, the Departmental Assistant, the five divisional directors, and the chair of the Graduate Studies committee -- and Tenure, Promotion, and Salaries committees. Throughout its history, the Department formed ad hoc committees when required.