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The Department of Fine and Applied Arts came into existence in 1972, and was was preceded by the Department of Fine Arts in the years prior. The Department of Fine and Applied Arts was chaired by David J. Peterkin for the years 1972-1978. Courses included within the department included Theatre and the Performing Arts, Drawing, Sculpting, Music, Music Theory, and Graphic Design. Beginning in 1982, the Department of Fine and Applied Arts was moved under the jurisdiction of the Department of Humanities.

It should be noted that there is limited information in the Douglas College Archives regarding the department titles from the years 1979-1981.

The Department of Fine Arts was created upon the opening of Douglas College in 1970, and was chaired by David J. Peterkin until 1972. It was responsible for the administration of Arts subjects, such as Fine Art, Sculping, Design, and Drawing, in addition to Music classes. Theatre classes were the responsibility of the Department of English and Communications until 1972, when the Department of Fine Arts was renamed to the Department of Fine and Applied Arts.

The Department of Humanities was formed after a reorganization following the split of Douglas College and Kwantlen College in the early 1980s. For the academic year 1982-1983, it was chaired by John Terrence Farrell, and its administrative responsibilities included courses from the former Department of Fine and Applied Arts. These included Theatre and the Performing Arts, Drawing, Sculpting, Music, Music Theory, and Graphic Design. Also included were courses in the Humanities, such as Anthropology, Education, Geography, History, Modern Languages, Political Science, and Psychology. In 1983, the department was renamed to the Department of Arts and Humanities to reflect the inclusion of the arts subjects in its administrative area.

It should be noted there is limited information within the Archives regarding departmental titles for the years 1979-1981.

The Department of Liberal Arts (formerly the Humanities Division of the Department of Liberal Studies from 1970-1972) was created in 1972, and existed in this form until 1978. It was responsible for administering courses in Philosophy, History, and non-Applied Sciences and Mathematics. During this time, it was chaired by E. Donovan Jones.

It 1982, it was combined with the Department of Fine and Applied Arts to form the Humanities Department, which was then renamed to the Department of Arts and Humanities in 1983.

It should be noted that there is limited information on the departmental structure of the College from the years 1979-1981.

The Department of Liberal Studies was one of the original academic departments when Douglas College first opened in 1970, and was chaired by Barry Leach during the period 1970-1972. Subjects that fell under its jurisdiction when the College opened included Anthropology, Education, Geography, History, Modern Languages, Political Science, and Psychology.

In 1972, its administrative responsibilities were divided between two divisions: the Department of Liberal Arts and the Department of Social Sciences (chaired by Donald L. McEachern) for the academic years from 1972-1978. From 1972 until 1978, it became known as the Department of Liberal Arts and was chaired by E. Donovan Jones during this period.

The Douglas College Board (more often referred to simply as the College Board) was formed in 1979 as the result of passage of the College and Institute Act. Under the legislation, colleges became corporations and their councils became boards. The composition of college boards no longer required representation from school board officials, but otherwise the powers and responsibilities of the board were largely were largely unchanged.

The Douglas College Board acts on behalf of the public, and oversees the affairs of the organization (including property, revenue and expenditure), performing duties aligned with the College and Institute Act to support proper administration and advancement of Douglas College. The board focuses on policy and strategic leadership rather than administrative detail.

The first board chairperson was Helen Casher who held the position from 1979-1981.

The Douglas College Council (more often referred to as simply the College Council) was founded in March 1969. Amendments to the Public Schools Act six years earlier required that all colleges in the province of British Columbia be governed by a College Council. The stated purpose of these councils under the amendment was the management, administration, and control of the property, revenue, business, and affairs of each respective college. Citizens who wanted a college in their region could vote in a plebiscite to contribute to the institution's costs through their local school taxes. School districts in Richmond, Delta, Surrey, Langley, Burnaby, New Westminster, and Coquitlam voted on March 9, 1969 in support of the college's creation. The government established the first college council, which was required by law to consists of one member appointed by each participating school board, members appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, and one District Superintendent of Schools from one of the participating districts appointed by the Minister of Education. Jack Smedley was the first chairperson of the Douglas College Council, and he held the position from 1969-1970.

The Council was responsible for recruiting the College's founding principal, George Wootton, and the secretary-treasurer, M.F. (Bill) Morfey. The council was also involved with hiring other key personnel, developing the College's first budget, and procuring facilities.

Other powers and responsibilities of the College Council included: appointing necessary instructional and other staff; determining student fees and tuition; overseeing the management and carrying-out of the college's curriculum and instruction; preparing annual budgets; and determining admission requirements.

In 1979, following the passage of the College and Institute Act, the Douglas College Council became the Douglas College Board.

The Office of Director of Libraries (a position originally called Chief Librarian) was responsible for the management of librarians and staff while also leading the development of library policy, coordination with other branches of the College, and generally providing for the administration of the libraries at each of the seven campuses by the end of the 1970s.

The library as a department within the College began in January 1970 with the appointment David R. Williams as Chief Librarian. By the end of the first academic year there were fully functioning libraries at the New Westminster, Richmond, and Surrey campuses. These libraries were housed in the modular, prefabricate buildings ubiquitous at Douglas College during its early years. The collection of books and other materials was originally processed through an agreement with Simon Fraser University. The library's first ten years were characterized by rapid growth as new campuses with libraries were opened in Coquitlam, Langley, and Surrey's Newton town centre. Library services were also available at the Maple Ridge campus and the Agnes Street annex in New Westminster. When Douglas College was "split" to create Kwantlen College, the library's collection and personnel were also divided between the two institutions. Williams went on to become the Vice-President of Kwantlen College and was succeeded as Director of Libraries by Virginia Chisholm.

In 1982, the Coquitlam and New Westminster libraries were amalgamated in the recently completed permanent campus at Royal Avenue in New Westminster. This roughly coincided with a reorganization in which the Department of Learning Resources was created to oversee the direction of both the library and Instructional Media Services (IMS).

The Douglas College Student Society (DCSS) was incorporated in 1972 under the Society Act with a mandate to represent and protect the rights and interests of students. The makeup of the Society's executive membership has changed over time, but typically included a President, Vice President(s), Secretary, Treasurer, and campus- or program-specific representatives. At different times in the history of the DCSS, the records of the Executive were collected by a staff person who was also responsible for the management of Society business/administration.

When the DCSS was formed it represented students from three campuses: New Westminster, Surrey, and Richmond. For this reason, the earliest governing body of the DCSS - the Student Council - was also sometimes called the Tri-Council. By 1979, five additional campuses were also being represented by the DCSS: Coquitlam, Langley, Maple Ridge, Agnes Street, and Newton Centre. Consequently, the DCSS's governing body became the Multi Campus Council. In the early 1980s, following the College's split into two separate institutions, the DCSS updated its Constitution and its governing body was reorganized as the Senate. Rather than a campus-specific focus like its predecessor, the Senate used a model of representation based on areas of study.

In 1992, DCSS membership voted to leave the Canadian Federation of Students, only to re-join the national organization six years later. In 1999, the DCSS underwent a restructuring in which it was renamed the Douglas Students' Union (Canadian Federation of Students, Local 18).