In 1886 the Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society wrote to the Vice-Chancellors of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge offering to contribute to a chair or readership in geography at each university. As a result, the first readership in geography was established at Oxford in 1887 and Halford John Mackinder was appointed to the post. The Reader lectured twice a week on physical geography and historical geography. In the early years of his Readership, Mackinder also lectured on geographical subjects for the University Extension Delegacy.

The School of Geography was established in 1899, under the direction of the Reader, with the assistance of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). It was overseen by the Committee for the Supervision of Instruction in Geography (later, the Committee for Geography) appointed by the Delegates of the Common University Fund. The committee comprised members of the University and representatives of the RGS. Initially, the School was housed on the upper floor of the Old Ashmolean building, but it outgrew these premises and began renting temporary rooms on Broad Street in 1909. In 1910, made possible by a gift of Sir Abe Bailey, it moved into part of Acland House in Broad Street. In 1922 the School moved to Holywell House on Mansfield Road, formerly a private house built for the Rev J.H. Mee. The School possessed a library, with books, atlases and periodicals, plus a collection of wall maps, lantern slides and models for teaching purposes.

At the time the School was established geography was taught only as a subsidiary subject in the Honour Schools of Literae Humaniores and Modern History. In 1900 the Diploma in Geography was created, followed in 1903 by the establishment of certificates in Geography and Surveying. The first examination for the diploma was held in June 1901. It was originally intended as a one-year course for post-graduate students, but could be taken by undergraduates if spread over two years, with one of the certificates being taken in the first year and the diploma in the second. In 1907 and 1909 statutes were passed which established the certificates as the equivalent of one group of the Pass School and the diploma as the equivalent of two groups. It was first proposed in 1913 to make geography a full subject in the Final Honour School of Natural Science but this, and a second proposal in 1918, failed.

The diploma and certificates were abolished in 1939 following the establishment of the Final Honour School in Geography in 1932. Until that time, undergraduates could only study geography as a part of the Modern History course or for the additional certificate. With the creation of the Final Honour School a permanent Chair was also founded and the first Professor took up office in 1932. A second Professorship was created in 1971, named after Sir Halford Mackinder.

From 1902 the School was involved in the running of biennial vacation courses in Geography chiefly for schoolteachers. This was a scheme for bringing students to Oxford during the long vacation (in order to coincide with teachers’ holidays) for a special course of lectures and practical work in geography, specially designed for teachers.

These continued until 1932 when the increase in undergraduates necessitated more time for the teaching of the Final Honour School.

The School of Geography building was first extended in 1938 with the building of a lecture hall by Sir Hubert Worthington. It was further extended in 1968-1969.

In 1938 the Faculty of Anthropology and Geography was created. The Faculty Board replaced the Board of Studies for Geography, the Committee for Geography and the Committee for Anthropology, taking over all their functions, including supervision of the School of Geography. The Faculty Board was abolished in 2000 on the creation of the Board of the Division of Life and Environmental Sciences. In 2005 the School joined with two established research centres - the Environmental Change Institute and the Transport Studies Unit – to became the Oxford University Centre for the Environment (OUCE), part of the Social Sciences Division. In that year the School of Geography left Holywell House and moved into the Dyson Perrins Building on South Parks Road. The Library ceased to be an independent library in 2008 and moved into the Radcliffe Science Library. In 2009 OUCE was renamed as the School of Geography and the Environment.