[2] When the Department of Extension was first founded, Alberta had a mostly-rural population of 375,000 people that was widely spread throughout the province.
In 1917, the Magic Lantern service became the first educational film library in Canada, after securing a $4,000 grant from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
Between 1920 and 1950, the Department of Extension continued to focus on serving the agricultural, educational, and cultural needs of rural Alberta.
In 1950, the first "mud school" was established in a partnership between the University of Alberta Department of Extension, the University of Alberta's Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, and several associations within the oil industry (this program would eventually become the Petroleum Industry Training Service).
The success of the "mud schools" led to an increase in the development of non-credit courses, classes, seminars, and conferences.
As the oil boom continued in the 1970s, the Department of Extension offered courses in Fort McMurray, Inuvik, Yellowknife, Hinton, and Edmonton.
After being located on the University of Alberta's main campus since its founding, in 2007, the Faculty of Extension moved into the renovated and historic Enterprise Square.
Also in 2007, the Faculty of Extension hosted the 54th annual Canadian Association of University Continuing Education (CAUCE) Conference.