DSE was established in 1949 at the initiative of Prof. V. K. R.V. Rao, as an institution for advanced studies and research in economics, with the Department of Economics (and Commerce) as its nucleus.

A decade later, three other Social Science departments viz. Sociology, Geography and Business Management were added.

The Department of Commerce was set up as a separate department by carving it out of the composite Department of Economics and Commerce in December 1967.

Department of Commerce has been a part of the cluster of four social science departments collectively known as the Delhi School of Economics.

Pt. Nehru was its first chairman.

The department of economics was designated a Centre of Advanced Study by the University Grants Commission in 1993.

The highest ranking civil servant N.K.Singh, Icher George Ahluwalia, director, ICRIER, Bhaskar Datta, ISI, Delhi, J.V. Raman, Newscaster, Amit Mitra, director general, FICCI, Ravi Dubey and Rajiv Dubey of the Tatas, former finance minister Manmohan Singh, sociologists P.N. Dhar and M.N. Srinivas, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, and the list could go on...

M.A. Courses in Sociology - Two year full-time programme. Admission to the course is on the basis of a written test.

Eligibility : The candidate must possess a bachelor's degree in any discipline with a minimum aggregate of 55%. For the admission test students are expected to be familiar with the basics concepts of sociological analysis and basic problems in the sociology of India.

M. Phil. Courses in Sociology- The duration of the course is one year. Admission is open to those who have have Master's degree in Sociology or an allied subject from any recognised university with atleast 55% in aggregate. Students who are admitted to the M Phil. course are eligible to write the exam for Junior Research Fellowship and other scholarships.

PhD Course - The course is in accordance with the relevant ordinance of the University.

It publishes the journal Indian Economic Review.

There is a state-of-the-art computer centre. All students receive compulsory training in the application of computers for data analysis and economic modelling. Students are also provided with internet access and e-mail accounts.

The Ratan Tata Library has a total collection of over 300,000 books, subscribes to some 500 journals, annual reports of 800 joint-stock companies, and numerous publications of the UN and other international agencies.