The dean of the Faculty of History is Associate Professor Anatoliy Heorhiyovych Shvab, Doctor of History.

            The History Faculty has a long history which unfolded in keeping with worldwide patterns of the development and evolution of specialized education. From the early period when the `life` of this institution of specialized higher education originated, instruction of students took place in the traditional major areas of study— history and philology, often combined with philosophy, theology and the natural and exact sciences. Thus, when the Lutsk Teachers` Training College began its operations in 1940, one of the specializations involved the training of history teachers. The reestablishment of the functioning of the institute in 1946 included a modification of the work of the history/philology department, laying the foundation for the formation of an independent history faculty within the Lutsk Teachers` Training College bearing the name of Lesya Ukrainka which took place during the 1951-52 academic year. The evolution of the faculty was not a simple process: it included changes in the term of studies, in its name, the curriculum structure and the structure of the chair, among other things. Within the Teachers` Training College (1940-41, 1946-51) in particular, there was a two-year program of study and a broad specialization for the instruction of teachers for seven-year schools From 1951 to 1956 the Faculty existed as an independent entity with a four-year course of study for training teachers in history and the social sciences. In 1956 the structure of the history/philology faculty came into being, within the framework of which there was a separate history department. Finally in 1969 an independent Faculty of History was formed, which has since functioned as an autonomous subdivision for education and research.

            As from 1946, two types of study programs have existed in the Faculty—day programs and correspondence programs. Graduates with a specialization in history were simply classed as majors in "history" until 1972, when the increasing number of students and the demand for specialists led to the formation of separate faculties for Ukrainian S.S.R. history and the History of the U.S.S.R., within which departments a total of seven instructors worked: O. G. Mykhayluk and P. K. Smiyan, Doctors of Historical Studies; Associate Professors I. S. Hayday, R. N. Oksenuk and D. A. Ogarin, with diplomas of Kandidat in Historical Studies; assistant professors V. O. Kud and I. D. Babich; and six instructors in general history, including associate professors P. P. Serpeninov, N. I. Hmara and P. Z. Kozik, Kandidat in Historical Studies; senior instructor M. M. Kuchinko and assistants L. O. Mikulska and V. M. Zaytko.) From as far back as 1959, a pattern was visible in which the history faculty had the highest proportion of instructors with high-level research diplomas. Many teachers in the Faculty had progressed from being successful students initially, then to the level of junior instructors, skilled researchers, professors and doctors of science. Examples can be observed in the rise of the professional level of such professors as V. K. Baran, V. P. Kolesnik, M. M. Kuchinko and S. V. Gavriluk, doctors of historical science.

            Students of the history faculty have always occupied active and vital positions, and have been engaged in scientific and research work. A research student society has been active within the faculty since 1976, its first chairman being V. K. Baran, Doctor of Historical Science, who is currently chair of the department of Modern Ukrainian History.

            With the process of transforming the Volyn Teachers` Training College into the Volyn State University in 1993, changes in the faculty brought about an increase in the quality of instruction programs for specialized graduates in keeping with the structure of a classical university. Considered individually, the study period has been extended (five years for regular day programs and six years for correspondence courses), in three different diploma categories—"bachelor", "specialist" and "master`s". The number of specialized graduate departments has increased, and new areas of study for students are being introduced.

            At the present time, the faculty provides instruction leading to the following degrees:

• HISTORY: "bachelor", "specialist", "master".

• POLITICAL SCIENCE: "bachelor", "specialist", "master" (since 1996)

• DOCUMENT STUDIES AND INFORMATICS ACTIVITIES: "bachelor" (since 2004).

            Professional instruction is provided by specialized departments such as: Ancient and Modern History of Ukraine, Recent Ukrainian History, Modern History of the Ancient World and the Middle Ages, Modern Recent History of Foreign Countries, Archeology and Source Studies, the theory and history of political science, political institutions and processes.

            Over the course of its existence, the faculty has been headed by D. A. Oharin, Y. M. Lyzohub, V. O. Kud, P. N. Serpeninov, M. D. Kulykivskiy, Y. I. Franchuk, and is currently chaired by Associate Professor A. H. Shvab, Kandidat of Historical Sciences.

            The research work of the students and the teaching staff is reflected in a considerable body of creative work: monographs, academic textbooks, articles in research periodicals, and works for Ukrainian, international and regional research conferences. Mention must be made of the major contribution made by scholars in this faculty toward the creation of the multi-volume "History of the Ukrainian S. S. R.", "History of the Cities and Villages of Ukraine: Volyn Region" and "History of Volyn." Among other monographs which have been published at various times, the works which in particular merit recognition are M. M. Kuchinka`s "Ancient Russian Sites. The Wall along the Styr" (Lutsk, 1996); "The Historical and Cultural Development of Western Pobuzhya from the Ninth to Eleventh Centuries" (Lutsk, 1993); V. P. Kolesnyak, "The Crisis and Collapse of the Totalitarian Socialist System of the Countries of Central and Southeastern Europe" (Lutsk, 1994); V. K. Baran "Ukraine during the years 1950-60: Evolution of a Totalitarian System" (Lviv, 1996); S. B. Gavryluk, "Studies of Historical Monuments in Volyn, Kholmshchyna and Pidlyashya from the Nineteenth to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century"; B. O. Yarosh, "The Pages of History in the Western Ukrainian Lands from the 1930s to the 1950s"; V. K. Baran and B. O. Yarosh (co-authors), "The Political History of Ukraine in the Twentieth Century" (T.6. - Kyiv, 2003) and others.

            Among the educational publications and textbooks published by teachers within the Faculty, mention must be made of: V. V. Prhshlyak, "History of Ukraine" (Brest, 2002); Y. M. Shabala, "History of Ukraine: Manual for University Entrants." (Kyiv, 2004); O. M. Karlyna, "History of the Middle Ages: Textbook for the Seventh Form" (Kyiv, 1998, 2000, 2004); O. B. Yarosh, "Textbook for General Political Theory"(Lutsk, 2005); "Government Service: Theory and Practice: a Textbook" (Kyiv, 2003) and others.

            The teaching members of the Faculty cooperate actively with educational and management subdivisions of the administration of education and research in the city and the region, taking an active part in preparing and conducting competitions at various levels in history and political science, and courses for the defense of research works of the I. A. S. Graduates of the Faculty involved in the protection of national historical and cultural monuments are at the head of the Volyn Museum of Regional Ethnography and in regional museums, and work in the national archives in the Volyn and Rivne regions and in the national archeological service of the N. A. S. in Ukraine. Students and graduates of the Faculty of History take an active part in the social and political life of the country, and have a leading or participatory role in the main structures of social organizations, political parties and the civil service. V. I. Blayenchuk and V. N. Bondar have been in charge of the Regional State Administration, and some were or are national deputies at different levels, including that of the Supreme Soviet of Ukraine (A. I. Martinuk, K. T. Vashchuk and B. N. Bondar.)

            One branch of the Volyn State University Library is the department of humanities literature, the library of historical literature. It has substantial stocks of books, mainly in the areas "World History", "History of the Russian State", "History of the U.S.S.R." and "History of Ukraine", the latter having the most complete stock. The Faculty provides a high level classical humanities education.