The effort to establish the Faculty of Letters and Culture at Diponegoro University began with the formation of the Faculty of Letters and Culture Establishment Committee, based on UNDIP Rector’s Decree No. 626/Sp/Adm/BUP/1965, dated January 25, 1965. The committee’s composition was as follows:

Soenario, S.H., chairman and member;
Rais, chairman and member;
Prof. A. Sigit, member;
Soemadi Soemowidagdo, member;
S. Poerwadarminta, member;
Slamet Rahardjo, M.A., member;
Soerono Tjitrosantjoko, member;
Tan Wei Lie, member;
Marsono, member;
Fadjar, member.

The rationale for establishing the faculty, as reflected in the considerations of the Rector’s Decree, included: Central Java is a region rich in Indonesian historical, cultural, and literary resources; To study and develop history, culture, and literature, it was appropriate to establish a faculty called the Faculty of Letters and Culture at Diponegoro University.

Thanks to the hard work of the committee, the idea of ​​establishing the Faculty of Letters and Culture at Diponegoro University finally came to fruition on September 1, 1965, with Decree of the Minister of PTIP No. 173/1965, dated August 21, 1965, and inaugurated by the Minister of PTIP, Dr. Syarif Thayeb, on September 12, 1965. On that occasion, the first dean was also inaugurated: Prof. Soenario, S.H.

The establishment of the faculty was in accordance with the considerations of educating prospective graduates, particularly in the field of Indonesian culture. Therefore, the only department opened at that time was the Department of Indonesianology. The graduates were expected to research and broaden their knowledge of Indonesian culture, thereby enabling them to introduce it to the international community.

In line with the demands of the times, a new department was opened in 1967: the Department of Anglo-Saxon. Given that the foundation of Indonesianness was the primary objective, the separation of departments was not implemented until the third year. This policy was reviewed in 1968. However, it was not until a meeting on January 31, 1970, that the Faculty Senate decided that department selection could be conducted in the second year. Furthermore, the Faculty Senate also accepted W.J.S. Poerwadarminta’s proposal for the Department of Indonesianology and Anglo-Saxon Studies in 1973, and began offering doctoral programs. Meanwhile, the Department of History, due to limited faculty, only opened to the bachelor’s level. Due to the large number of students who did not continue their studies, it was not until 1974 that the Faculty of Literature and Culture of Diponegoro University graduated its first two graduates from the Department of Indonesianology and Anglo-Saxon Studies.

The establishment of the Department of History provided greater opportunities to study all aspects of Indonesianness, thus providing a more adequate platform for realizing the faculty’s mission. However, further developments, in line with the direction of the Literature and Philosophy Subconsortium to promote uniformity among the Faculty of Letters in Indonesia, prevented the establishment of a Faculty of Letters with its own distinctive character, as envisioned by its founder. Like other Faculties of Letters in Indonesia, the Department of Indonesian Language and Literature was renamed the Department of Indonesian Literature, the Department of Anglo-Saxon Literature became the Department of English Literature, and the Department of History became the Department of History.

In 1976, the Faculty of Letters at Diponegoro University began implementing a credit-based education system. Then, starting in 1978, a four-year undergraduate program with 140 semester credit units (SKS) was implemented. After only one year of operation, the Minister of Education and Culture issued Decree No. 0124/U/1979, dated May 8, 1979, concerning the Levels of Higher Education Programs. This decree stipulated that the study load for the Undergraduate Program (S1) would be between 144 and 160 semester credit units (SKS), with a study duration of four to seven years.

Starting in 1979/1980, the applicable curriculum was based on the minimum curriculum of the Literature and Philosophy Consortium, and a curriculum and syllabus were compiled for each course. Meanwhile, based on Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture No. 0551/10/1983 dated December 8, 1983, the name of the Faculty of Letters and Culture was changed to the Faculty of Letters.

Furthermore, the applicable curriculum for students entering the 1984/1985 intake was the Core Curriculum established by the Directorate General of Higher Education. In accordance with this reference and the Decree of the Rector of Diponegoro University No. 1410/SK/PT09/1984 dated July 23, 1984, the applicable curriculum at the Faculty of Letters at Diponegoro University is the Core Curriculum plus Specialized Courses (MKS) and Elective Courses (MKP). Students entering the intake before 2000 were subject to the curriculum based on Decree of the Rector of Diponegoro University No. 324/BK/Prog/1996 dated October 3, 1996, in accordance with the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 0314/U/1994 t