The department was established in the year 1964 as Rural Community Extension under the aegis of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Government of India and was later taken over by the University of Delhi. The course was restructured and the nomenclature CRME came into being in 1983. In 2007 the nomenclature was revised to Development Communication and Extension. 

The department strives to train a cadre of professionals equipped to mobilize participation of women and youth for sustainable development through communication for social change. 

The curriculum provides strong theoretical foundations and experiential learning to meet the existing market demands of the development and corporate sectors. The different courses create a synergistic understanding between development issues, programme management, design of media and strategies for development change. The students are trained in Behaviour Change Communication methodologies. They acquire professional skills in developing radio programmes and documentary films along with designing materials for print media. The understanding of the potential and use of Information and Communication Technologies for development along with traditional media equips students to engage different community groups. 

Synergy across different organizations provides a broadbased exposure to students. I nteraction of the students with faculty from other academic institutions like Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Mass Communication and Research Centre, JMI, JNU, IARI, Michigan State University, Ohio School of Communication, Portland State Universities of the US, and School of Communication and Journalism, Queensland University, Australia on academic and research issues provides strength to academic inputs. 

The Internship Programme is organized with media agencies, social marketing institutes and media research organizations along with government departments and corporate organizations. The field work experience is structured with an interface with established grassroots organizations based in Delhi and neighbouring states. 

Seminars and workshops conducted by professionals ,.orking with training and capacity building organizations help students to acquire appropriate skill sets. Interaction with UN/Bilateral Agencies like UNIFEM, UNFPA, WHO, IPPF, ILO and government departments and organizations like NACO, NCW, NIPCCD, NDDB, Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Social Justice and Empowerment, Youth Affairs helps to build national and global perspectives. 

The Study Abroad Programme with the Department of Human Ecology, Michigan State University, US, provides an opportunity to first year Master's students to attend a programme on American Families and Community Life. Students from the Michigan State University are also hosted by the department. 

The research focus of the department is on development concerns, advocacy and communication for social change. Master's students are guided to take up independent empirical research and write a dissertation as part of their academic programme. 

Annual events organized as per the curriculum mandate include International Youth Day, International Women's Day, National Literacy Day and Raushini Deshpande Annual Lecture delivered by an eminent person in the area of community development. These events provide rich learning experiences to the students. 

The faculty is well qualified, with training in diverse disciplines of community resource management and extension, mass communication, anthropology, community nutrition, gender studies, consumption economics and post-harvest technologies. 

The alumnae are working in varying capacities with international organizations like UNICEF, UNFPA, FAO, World Bank, UNIFEM, IPPF, Prince of Wales Foundation and Aga Khan Foundation. Others are working with the Ministries of Women and Child Development, Rural Development, Social Justice and Women's Empowerment, and national organizations like Planning Commission, Centre for People's Action, Research and Training (CAPART), Centre for Budget and Government Accountability (CBGA), National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) and The Energy Research Institute (TERI). A few alumnae work with research organizations and teaching Institutes like IARI, ICAR, NIPCCD, colleges of Home Science and schools. With the introduction of new courses in communications in the revised curriculum and internship with media organisations, an opportunity has emerged for careers in media content design and as editors, in autonomous institutes engaged in communication for social change and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Others are in freelancing and teaching in media schools. 

The Certificate Course in Radio Management prepares students for various careers in the booming radio industry - radio jockeying, program production and editing, music management and client account management for undergraduate students.