The Department of History is an instructional unit at Brigham Young University.

The Department of History was established in 1921 as part of the College of Arts and Sciences, and was later transferred to College of Humanities and Social Sciences (1954), the College of Social Sciences (1965), and College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences (1981). It is responsible for providing instruction in history, including American and world history topics. Department chairs have included Christen Jensen (1921-1923, 1929-1948), William Snow (1924-1928), Russel B. Swensen (1949-1955), Richard D. Poll (1955-1958), Eugene E. Campbell (1958-1959, 1960-1968), De Lamar Jensen (1968-1973), Ted J. Warner (1973-1982), James B. Allen (1982-1987), Paul B. Pixton (1987-1994), Kendall W. Brown (1994-2000), Frank W. Fox (2000-2003), Neil L. York (2003-2006), Arnold H. Green (2006-2008), Shawn W. Miller (2008-2010), and Donald Harreld (2010- ).

De Lamar Jensen (born 1925) was a Mormon historian and history professor in Utah.

De Lamar Jensen was born on April 22, 1925 in Idaho to Jacob A. Jensen and Johanna Petersen. He grew up in northern Utah and southern Idaho, and served as a fighter pilot during World War II. After the war he began his studies at Brigham Young University and then worked for a year as a high school physics teacher in Idaho. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served as a missionary in Mexico and Guatemala. After his mission he returned to Brigham Young University, earning his bachelor's degree in history. He then went on to earn a master's and Ph.D. in history from Columbia University.

Jensen returned to Utah to join the History Department at Brigham Young University in 1957, focusing his research on early modern Europe. During his time in the department, he served as department chair from 1968 to 1973. Jensen retired from the university in 1992, and currently resides in Provo, Utah.

Richard D. Poll (1918-1994) was a Mormon historian and history professor in Utah and Illinois.

Richard Douglas Poll was born on April 23, 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Carl William Poll and Annie Rosella Swenson. He moved with his family to Fort Worth, Texas at the age of ten, and attended Texas Christian University (TCU). He graduated from TCU with his bachelor's in history in 1938, and completed a master's degree on a Mormon history topic in 1939. Following his graduation, he served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany and Canada. Poll then served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1945. Amidst the war he married Emogene Hill in the Salt Lake Temple.

After World War II Poll returned to school, earning his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 1948. He then joined the history faculty at Brigham Young University (BYU), and served as department chair from 1955 to 1958. During his time at the university he founded a chapter of the American Association of University Professors in 1959, and worked with the Honors Program. He came into conflict with the university administration, however, and resigned his position in 1969. He was then became vice president at Western Illinois University (WIU) until 1975, when he returned to teaching history. After retiring from WIU in 1983 he returned to teach classes at BYU. Poll died on April 27, 1994 in Provo, Utah.