When the then Ondo State Government in 1982 was drawing up terms of reference for the then Obafemi Awolowo University, Ado-Ekiti (Now Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti) planning committee for the establishment of the university, the government was clearly unequivocal in her intention to establish as a matter of urgency the Department of Geographybecause geographers were needed urgently in conceptualizing regional planning. urban planning and other relevant sub-disciplines of geography, to make the home of man and his environmental patterns and process sustainable, giving way for different stages of societal development. The Department of Geography took off as one of the pioneer departments in the university in 1982  Professor Olusegun Areola and Mr. F.I. Afolabi (Now Professsor F. I. Afolabi) as pioneer members of staff. Shortly after the then Senate to the university approved the programme of the Department, the following members of staff joined the Department. Prof. M.A.O. Ayeni (Visiting Professor), Dr. A.0. Aweto (Visiting Senior Lecturer), Dr. F.S. Ebisemiju (Lecturer I), Dr. J.T. Hathaway (Lecturer I), Mr H.K. Ogunsusi (Cartographer). In 1996, the Department put up a paper for the approval of Senate to change the name of the Department from Department of Geography to Geography and Planning Science. The change process was approved at the 60^thregular Senate of the University. Since this change, the department recorded increased students enrolments. The Departments inherited two programmes (Environmental Management and Tourism and Hospitality Management) from the then University of Science and Technology, Ifaki-Ekiti (USTI) with the merger of USTI with EKSU. With the successful verification of Tourism and Hospitality Management by the National University Commission (NUC), the department of Tourism is now a full-fledged Department in the Faculty of the social Sciences of the University.

Presently the Department has fifteen (15) academic staff; 6 professors, one Reader one Senior Lecturer, Two Lecturer I, Four Lecturer II; One Assistant Lecturer.

The following seasoned academics have one time or the other took up the Headship/Leadership of the Department: