Shandong Unversity, originally Shandong Metropolitan University, was founded in 1901 in Jinan, the seat of Shandong Provincial Government. At that time, the University offered courses of natural sciences like industry, technics, and physic. English, German, French and Japanese were also taught as public courses.

In 1926, the Private University of Tsingtao was transformed into National Tsingtao University by the designation of Cai Yuanpei, then the minister of education of the Nanking Government. The University set up two schools: the School of Natural Sciences and the School of Liberal Arts. Subordinate to the School of Liberal Arts was the Foreign Language Department, which only offered four-year undergraduate program in the subject of English. In 1932, the name of the university was changed into Shandong University. During this period, well-known scholars like Liang Shiqiu, Hong Shen, Ling Dayang were director of the Foreign Language Department and famous professors like Tan Yingshen and Zhao Shaohou taught in the Department.

Shandong University closed down after the overall breakout of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. After the University restored function in 1946, it expanded and set up five schools: the School of Liberal Arts, the School of Natural Sciences, the School of Industry, the School of Agriculture and the School of Medicine. As one of the fourteen departments of the university, the Foreign Language Department was subordinate to the School of Liberal Arts and headed by Zhao Taimou, then the president of the university.

After Qingdao was liberated (from KMT rule) in 1949, Shandong University was taken over by the new people’s government and merged with East China University in 1951. the Foreign Language Department established after the merger began to offer two four-year undergraduate programs: English and Russian. In 1952, after the nation-wide faculty readjustment, some of the departments of Shandong University spread around other provinces and regions. In the Foreign Language Department, only the Russian Section headed by Fang Weiai was left, while the English Section moved to join the present-day Shanghai International Studies University. In 1955, Cheng Fangwu became president of Shandong University. In 1958, Shandong University moved from Qingdao to Jinan. In 1994, the Foreign Language Department turned into the School of Foreign Languages and Literature. In 2000, Shandong University merged with Shandong University of Industry and Shandong Medical University under the disposal of the Ministry of Education. The Foreign Language Department of the former Shandong University of Industry and the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Office of the former Shandong Medical University joined the School of Foreign Languages and Literature to form the present School of Foreign Languages and Literature of Shandong University. During this period, Zhang Jian, Hu Delin, Li Naikun, Li Yanfu, Wang Shouyuan and Guo Jide have successively been head of the Department or the School。

In the past 50 years of development, the School of Foreign Languages and Department has fashioned its own model of education and academic tradition. It enjoys a good reputation both at home and abroad. After 1949, well-known professors of the School include Huang Jiade, Wu Fuheng