Membership in the faculty of the Department of History extends to all persons with tenured, tenure-track, or instructional-track appointments in the department. This includes​​ tenured, tenure-track, or instructional-track members of other departments who hold 0% appointments in this department.

Both individually and as a body, the faculty is responsible for carrying out the department's mission in accordance with the policies and procedures of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Graduate College, and the University. Individual faculty members fulfill these responsibilities in accordance with the University's policy on professional ethics and academic responsibility

The Department distributes teaching and service assignments to faculty and provides guidance through periodic reviews to ensure that all faculty are participating appropriately and equitably in the teaching, research, and service missions of the department, college and university.

Members who hold tenured, tenure-track or instructional-track appointments greater than 0% in the department are eligible to vote in department meetings on issues or policies that come before the faculty. Instructional-track faculty are eligible, but not required, to participate in hiring discussions and decisions.

The Chair (also known as the DEO) has primary responsibility for administering the department on a day-to-day basis.  

1. The chair consults on matters of department policy with and is guided by the members of the department as a whole at regularly scheduled department meetings.
2. The chair appoints all committees, has responsibility for making salary recommendations to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and represents the department in deliberations with other departments and the college or university administration.
3. The chair, in consultation with other members of the department, appoints the Director of Graduate Studies and the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
4. The chair has final responsibility for hiring, supervising, and terminating the department's office staff, and makes day-to-day decisions involving the expenditures from the department's General Expense Fund, travel allocations, and research and teaching assistant funds.
5. The chair oversees the hiring of visiting faculty members in accordance with College and University policies.
6. In the final year of a chair’s term, the next chair is selected through a process of consultation among all voting members of the department. When this process is complete, the department presents a candidate (or candidates) to the Dean of the College. The Dean appoints the chair subject to approval by the Provost.
7. If the chair is temporarily away from the job, the chair will recommend to the Dean a member of the department to whom administrative responsibility will be delegated in the chair's absence.

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS)/Associate Chair is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Graduate Program in History

1. Primary duties include chairing the Admissions Committee and Aid & Awards Committee and carrying out other duties connected with graduate admissions and appointments, reappointments and financial aid; advising graduate students on matters of policy and providing initial advising to new graduate students; handling all matters pertaining to graduate students, including: supervising the History Teaching and Writing Center, the orientation for new graduate students, the training of Graduate Instructors (with the GIT Supervisor, below), and the revision as needed of the Graduate Student Handbook and Graduate Program section of the departmental website.
2. The DGS assigns research assistants and graders in consultation with faculty members.
3. The DGS is appointed by the chair of the department, normally for a two-year term.

The Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) supervises the department's undergraduate program

1. Primary duties include chairing the Undergraduate Committee, managing recruitment to the major and major requirements in collaboration with Academic Advising and the Department’s staff advisor, overseeing undergraduate awards and scholarships, organizing special events for undergraduates, promoting undergraduate achievements, providing organizational and programmatic support to the History Club for undergraduate majors, and revision as needed of the Handbook for Undergraduate Majors and the Undergraduate Program section of the departmental website
2. The DUS is appointed by the chair, normally for a two-year term.

The Supervisor of the Graduate Instructor-Taught (GIT) courses participates in training instructors: including reviewing syllabi and teaching evaluations and observing the teaching of all first-year instructors unless observation is arranged with another faculty member. With departmental staff, the Supervisor manages the assignment of sections and consults with instructors if student problems arise.

The History Honors Director supervises the Honors Program, the recruitment of new honors students, and the overall participation of history majors in the program. The Director normally teaches the Honors Thesis seminar, as part of the regular teaching load. The Honors Director is appointed by the department chair.