The department of Adult Education was formally a unit since its inception in 1996, in the old Department of Educational Foundations and Management, Faculty of Education, in the then University of Ado-Ekiti. As a unit, it had produced more than 400 Graduates both from the Sandwich and Regular degree Programmes. However, the department was carved out of the defunct Department of Educational Foundations and Management in the year 2012, but become a full fleshed department in year 2015 due to the restructuring of the former five existing Departments of the Faculty into Nine, as a result of the recommendation of the Accreditation panel to restructure the Faculty Courses to house programmes in their corresponding departments. It finally became an autonomous on August 17th 2015. The department was therefore set up to run two academics degree programmes, which includes: B.Ed Adult Education with teaching subjects in Arts, Social Science and Management Science and Adult Education in Specialists Areas. Moreover, at the 235th Senate meeting of September 28, 2016, Senate approved the change of nomenclature and status of the department and became the Department of Adult Education and Community Development.

The Department equally later commenced Post-graduate degree Programmes; including Diploma degree in Adult Education, Masters and Ph. D degree. The proposal on the establishment of Post graduate courses in Adult Education was put forward to the University Management and was approved in the year 2016 to enable the department trained facilitators and educators who would bear the burden of Adult Education and facilitate the teaching of such at all levels of education. The programme was also designed to advance the knowledge and skill of Adult Education manpower in the private and public sectors of our changing society. With this development, students and scholars from different fields of Academic and Careers have opted for postgraduate degree programmes in Adult Education and Community Development to deepen their knowledge in the different areas of their discipline.