It is the longest established department of Computer Science in Denmark and was founded in 1970 by Turing Award winner Peter Naur.

[4] In 1969, Peter Naur became the first professor in Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen, and in 1970, DIKU was officially established its own department.

[12] As of 2021, DIKU offers the following study programmes:[13] In addition, the department awards the research degree Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

PhD students are enrolled in the Faculty of Science's Doctoral School for a typical study period of between three and four years.

As something unique among the institutes of Copenhagen University, the DIKU cantine is entirely student driven and open 24 hours.