The term “department” refers to the college’s academic departments, such as Department of Psychiatry.
When referring to a department, always capitalize the department name when it stands alone or is written as an official and formal name For example:
The UICOMR Department of Pediatrics received a grant last year.
Subsequent references should be written more simply like this:
The grant enabled the department to build a new lab.
Note that in describing the relationship between a department and its college, the correct phrasing is that the department is in the college, not of the college.
Be clear about whether you are talking about a department or Office, e.g. it is the Office of Student Affairs, not the Student Affairs Department.
Using acronyms for department names
Be sure to understand the guidelines for using acronyms.
