The Department of English Language and Literature (DELL) was established in 2007 with the establishment of Wollega University. The department aspires to be the center of excellence in producing competent, innovative, dynamic and skilled English as a Foreign Language educators, researchers and proficient English Language communicators locally and internationally. It began teaching English Language and Literature with limited number of lecturers and department resources. However, at present, it is relatively a full-fledged department in Wollega University in terms of man power. By now, it has a well-established English Language Improvement Center (ELIC) and English Language Computer Laboratory which work to improve the English language skills of academic and administrative staffs of the university, secondary and primary school teachers, students and other needy individuals. It has a total of 39 academic staff (25 PhD holders, 6 PhD candidates and 8 M.A holders). Their academic ranks are: one associate professor, 24 assistant professors and 14 lecturers.
Since its establishment, the department has been offering courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students in regular, weekend, evening, summer and distance modalities. In the year 2011, the department expanded its program and launched a postgraduate program in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (M.A in TEFL) in regular, weekend and summer modalities. Four years later (in 2015), the department also launched a PhD program in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in regular modality. Many educators and researchers have been graduated from the postgraduate program of the department, and are playing their roles in building the nation. All the programs of the department aim to produce graduates who can provide professional services at governmental, non-governmental and private sectors both nationally and internationally. At the present (2025), the department is teaching a total of 1,303 students (40 in regular-including one scholar from South Sudan, 327 in evening, 121 in weekend, 606 in summer and 182 in distance) modalities in undergraduate program, and 27 students (23 M.A & 4 PhD) in regular modality in postgraduate program.
In parallel to teaching and learning, the staff actively conducts demand driven and problem solving researches and community services. Besides, the department gives regular trainings on various academic issues out of which English Language improvement training is the major one. There are also regular seminars on basics of research activities and other academic works for the staff and postgraduate students. Finally, as Wollega University is categorized under Universities of Applied Sciences, the department of English Language and Literature has revised its curriculum to align with the concept of applied sciences, and to focus on practice-based teaching and learning.