The department, formerly known as the Department of Home Economics, was established in 1958. It was the first department founded in the university. In 1991, the Department was renamed as Applied Science of Living. The goal of ASL department emphasized on both theory and practice. The undergraduate program involves two major fields, Children & Family Studies and Foodservice Management.
To meet the demands of changing social and national development, the department is growing into two departments, the Department of Family Studies and Child Development as well as the Department of Restaurant and Institutional Management in 2004.