The Department of Chemistry was created in 1910 and offered classes in General Chemistry, Analysis, Organic and Physical Chemistry. To meet the demands of the various colleges and schools it served, the department expanded its offerings to include Cereal Chemistry, Industrial and Applied Chemistry. In 1922 Chemical Engineering was added to the department's responsibilities until 1982 when it became a separate Engineering department. The areas of research have been varied, ranging from applied research projects related to the natural resources of the province to pure science problems. From an early point in the department's development it provided analytical services to both the public and private sectors but with a reduction in demand this was discontinued in 1990. The following have served as head of the department: R.D. MacLaurin (1910-1919); T. Thorvaldson (1919-1948); J.W.T. Spinks (1948-1959); K.J. MacCallum (1959-1970); J.M. Pepper (1970-1976); A.R. Knight (1976-1981); D.R. Grant (1981-1984); J.R. Woods (1984-1989); W.L. Waltz (1989-1994).

Operating from 1969 to 1975 and reporting to the Principal, the Student Liaison Office was created by the University Administration as a mechanism to monitor student activities and act as a liaison between the administration and the students.