The foundation of the Department of Geological Engineering began with the vision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sadrettin Alpan, one of the founders and long-time General Director of the Mineral Research and Exploration Institute (MTA). He sought to establish a faculty aimed at training qualified human resources for mineral exploration and evaluation within MTA. This vision gained momentum after being shared with our founder and honorary rector, Prof. Dr. İhsan Doğramacı, with whom he served on the Board of Trustees at METU, leading to the decision that establishing an institute under Hacettepe University would be highly beneficial. With the appointment of our founder, Prof. Dr. İsmail Gürol Ataman, to the Department of Chemistry supported by Dean Prof. Dr. Cemal Şenvar, followed by a ten-year protocol agreement signed between MTA and our university, the Institute of Earth Sciences was established, subsequently followed by the Departments of Geological and Mining Engineering.

During the early years of the Institute of Earth Sciences and the Departments of Geological and Mining Engineering, significant contributions and support were provided by MTA, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), State Hydraulic Works (DSİ), and the French Government. Close cooperation with these institutions continues to this day. The Department of Geological Engineering was officially established under the Institute of Earth Sciences affiliated with the Faculty of Science and Engineering by the decision of the Hacettepe University Senate dated April 30, 1968 (No. 222), and began its educational activities in the same year.

In 1968, the Faculty of Science and Social Sciences (established in 1967) was divided into the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Faculty of Social and Administrative Sciences. Following the division of the Faculty of Science and Engineering into the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering in 1971, the Department of Geological Engineering was affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering under the umbrella of the Institute of Earth Sciences. Following university restructuring in 1973, the department separated from the Institute of Earth Sciences and directly affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering. However, graduate education continued under the Institute of Earth Sciences within the Faculty of Post-Graduate Education (MESEF) until the institute ceased operations in 1981.

The Department of Hydrogeological Engineering, established in 1977, was closed by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in 1983 and integrated into the Department of Geological Engineering as the Division of Hydrogeology. The undergraduate and graduate programs previously conducted under that department have since been carried out as a second educational track (Hydrogeological Engineering Education Program) within the Department of Geological Engineering.

The undergraduate program started as a 5-year curriculum in 1968 and was extended to 6 years in 1969. The 6-year program continued until 1973, when the department was affiliated directly with the Faculty of Engineering. During this period, diplomas were awarded with the degree of "M.Sc. Engineer" and the title of Geological Engineer (Mining). A 4-year undergraduate education model was adopted in 1973. The designation "(Mining)" and the term "Hydrogeology" on Geological Engineering (Hydrogeology) diplomas were removed in 1997 due to curriculum revisions. Since then, diplomas explicitly state graduation from either the "Geological Engineering Program" or the "Hydrogeological Engineering Program".

The 1/3 foreign language instruction model initiated in 1983 was phased out in 2006 in favor of Turkish-medium instruction. From 1968 to 2009, students completed a mandatory foreign language preparatory class. The preparatory class now continues on an optional basis. Under the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, our department currently conducts undergraduate and graduate (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) degree programs in Geological and Hydrogeological Engineering. As of September 2017, a total of 2,901 students have graduated from our undergraduate program, and 495 students have completed master's and doctoral degrees.