About Us

The Department of History at Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) is one of the academic units of the College of Arts and Social Sciences, a college that has been the intellectual and creative heart of the university since its founding. The department traces its roots to the establishment of MSU-IIT itself — a story that begins with Mindanao State University's founding in 1961 in Marawi City, with a mission to widen access to higher education, particularly for Muslim communities and other national minorities across Mindanao.

An extension campus in Iligan City was approved by the MSU Board of Regents in 1967 and formally integrated into the MSU system in 1968 as the Iligan Institute of Technology. From those early years, the campus grew steadily in academic scope and ambition. In 1976, the Board of Regents authorized the establishment of new academic schools, including the School of Arts and Sciences, where History first found its home under the Department of Social Sciences. Restructuring in 1977 deepened disciplinary specialization, and by 1981, the Department of History was established as its own independent academic unit — a milestone that gave the department the freedom to chart its own course. Three years later, in 1984, the School of Arts and Humanities was renamed the College of Arts and Social Sciences, the department's institutional home to this day.

Since its establishment, the Department of History has been a space where the past is studied not as a collection of dates and events, but as a living conversation about who we are, where we come from, and where we might be headed. Over the decades, the department has grown from offering a general social science curriculum into a dynamic academic unit with a distinct identity, a clear sense of purpose, and a deepening commitment to both scholarly excellence and public relevance.

The department's undergraduate program has gone through several meaningful transformations. A curriculum approved in 1985 placed a strong emphasis on Philippine Studies and Mindanao history — making MSU-IIT the only institution at the time with such a specialized regional focus. A revision in 1999 broadened the program's horizons, incorporating world and regional histories to prepare graduates for diverse careers, particularly in teaching. Then, in response to the ASEAN integration and the sweeping changes brought by K-12 education reform, the program was restructured once more — this time in collaboration with the Marawi and General Santos City campuses of the MSU System — into the current BA History Program, which began full operation in 2018. This program offers four tracks — Philippines-Asia, International, Public History, and Education — allowing students to tailor their studies to their passions and professional goals.

The department is equally proud of its graduate programs. The Master in History — a non-thesis program designed for working teachers seeking advanced knowledge in world and regional histories — was approved and opened in 2004. More recently, the Master of Arts in History Major in Philippine History, a thesis-based program for those committed to original historical research, was developed beginning in 2021 and became the department's primary graduate offering by 2022.

In 2016, the department's commitment to academic excellence was formally recognized when it was awarded the CHED Center for Development in History — a distinction that places MSU-IIT among the leading institutions for history education in the Philippines.

Today, the Department of History is a community of scholars, teachers, and students united by a shared curiosity about the human experience across time and place. We are proud of where we have come from, and we remain deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of historians, educators, and engaged citizens — people who understand that knowing history is not just an academic exercise, but a responsibility.

We welcome you to be part of our story.