IMNU started to recruit junior school students majoring in history as soon as it was established in 1952. One year later, students could major in history and be taught in Mongolian or in Mandarin.

In 1955, the IMNU established a history subject focus, which had evolved into the Department of History by 1958.

The Department of History launched its first postgraduate program in 1982. In 1986, the department was authorized to grant master's degree in Chinese national history.

In 2005, by joining hands with the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Inner Mongolia Museum, the Department of History added two majors - archaeology and museology - to recruit full-time undergraduate students.

In June 2006, the department was restructured into the School of History and Culture. Its cultural industry management major was approved in 2008. 

Currently, the school has over 650 full-time undergraduate students in four majors: history, archaeology, museology and cultural industry management. It also has a master's degree program.

The history major is one of the most advantageous majors at IMNU. In 2004, the Specialized History Studies was selected as a key course of the university. One year later, the History major was listed in the first group of branded majors of Inner Mongolia; it was also included in the first group of specialized education disciplines by the Ministry of Education in 2007. In the same year, the Specialized History Studies program was designated a key discipline at the provincial level.

In 2009, the school's Research Center in China's Northern Xinjiang region was chosen as a key research base for humanities and social sciences. Among the center's excellent courses are the History of Mongolia, Modern History of China and Modern World History.

The school adheres to the concept that scientific research drives teaching. In the past five years, it has had eight projects supported by the National Social Sciences Fund, four sub-subjects supported by the National Social Sciences Special Fund and five projects supported by the Inner Mongolia Social Sciences Fund.

Several papers in domestic history studies have been published by core journals, such as the Journal of Chinese Historical Studies, Contemporary China History Studies, and Archeology. The General History of Inner Mongolia published in 2007 won first prize in the Inner Mongolia government awards and was recommended by Inner Mongolia's publicity department and its Administration of Press and Publication to all officials at the division-head level.

The school was named an advanced unit in discipline construction by IMNU in 2011, and was selected as an advanced group in scientific research in 2012 and 2016. Some of its students were winners of first or second prizes in teaching skills competitions at the national and provincial levels.