The Public Administration Undergraduate Study Program has existed since January 1, 1969, along with the establishment of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (the embryo of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences). The name at that time was State Administration.

Furthermore, based on the Decree of the Undip Rector No. 08/SKPT09/1983 dated January 6, 1983, the name of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences was changed to the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), with the following Departments/Study Programs: Department of Administrative Science, with the State Administration study program and the Business Administration study program

Only in 2006, the name of the State Administration Department changed to the Public Administration Department. Meanwhile, based on the change in nomenclature, starting in 2015 it changed to the Department of Public Administration.

In accordance with the Regulation of the Rector of Diponegoro University Number 2 of 2019 concerning the Organization and Work Procedures of Elements under the Rector of Diponegoro University, the Department of Public Administration which was previously integrated with the function of the Public Administration Undergraduate Study Program was finally separated.

Furthermore, the Department is an element of the faculty/school that supports the implementation of academic activities in one or several branches of science, technology, and art in the type of academic education or professional education while the Study Program is a unit of educational and learning activities that have a specific curriculum and learning methods in one type of academic education and/or professional education.

So that starting in 2019, the management of the S1 Public Administration level is under the S1 Public Administration Study Program, Department of Public Administration.