When it was established in 1965, the Faculty of Letters and Culture of Universitas Diponegoro aimed to educate students to become scholars of Indonesian culture who would study Indonesian cultural heritage in order to enrich the field of Indonesian cultural studies and introduce it to the international community. Therefore, the only department initially offered was the Department of Indonesiology.

In 1967, this objective expanded with the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon Department. However, the selection of majors or areas of specialization was not implemented until the third year of study. As a result, during the first and second years, students were enrolled in a general program. In 1968, concerns arose that this system of specialization was less beneficial for students, particularly those who chose the Anglo-Saxon Department. These concerns were subsequently discussed by the Senate of the Faculty of Letters and Culture of Universitas Diponegoro. In a Senate meeting held on 31 January 1970, it was decided that specialization would begin in the second year. Accordingly, a concentrated foundation in Indonesian studies was provided during the first year.

The Anglo-Saxon Department became the precursor to the Undergraduate Program in English Literature. At that time, the department only offered programs up to the junior undergraduate level. Later, in 1973, the full undergraduate level was opened, and the first cohort of bachelor’s degree graduates completed their studies in 1974. Official authorization was granted by the Directorate General of Higher Education through Decree No. 106/Dikti/Kep/1984 dated 21 April 1984. Currently, the Undergraduate Program in English Literature holds an A accreditation from BAN-PT, and in March 2024, it successfully obtained international accreditation from FIBAA.