The Department of Physics and Instrumentation was founded in 1961 as a part of Pavlodar Industrial Institute.

The following scholars took an active part in the establishment of the Department of Physics: Doctor of Engineering Sciences, Professor V.O. Voloshin, Candidate of Pedagogic Sciences L.Ya. Grabelkovskaya, Candidate of Engineering Sciences L.M. Batrakova, N.E. Karabayeva, N.N. Muzalevskaya. In the beginning and in the middle of the 70’s, graduates of the universities of Moscow, Almaty, Leningrad, Tomsk and Novosibirsk joined the teaching staff of the Department: Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences M.M. Omarov, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences V.S. Rumyantseva, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences A.A. Vinogradov (now working as a professor of Angol University), Candidate of Pedagogic Sciences M.Sh. Alinova, L.M. Tretyakova, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences Sh.K. Bibolov, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences V.Ya. Dvoretskiy (now a special representative of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Government), Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences M.B. Golman, Professor E.S. Omarov (now the Rector of Kainar University), Professor M.F. Mardenov (now the Rector of Ekibastuz Engineering Institute), Doctor of Physico-mathematical Sciences Yu.N. Uzikov (now a representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna), Candidate of Engineering Sciences Zh.M. Mardanov.

In 1976, the Department moved to the main building of PSU. Training laboratories were equipped. A major contribution to the establishment of the laboratories was made by their heads V.B. Ulyanich and S.V. Bykova. Since 1988, Physics has also been taught in Kazakh. In the 80's, PII students teams repeatedly took part in national academic competitions and always was among the winners. Since the renewal of academic competitions in Physics in 2001, the PSU team has been their permanent participant and prize-winner. Former members of the team T.S. Dosanov and T.G. Kisikov are now members of the teaching staff of the Department. In 1996, Pedagogical Institute became a part of PSU, and the Department began to train specialists in Physics and Mathematics, as well as Physics and Informatics. In the 90's, a major contribution to the development of the Department was made by Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences, Professor K.K. Kairbayev, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences V.A. Kovtunets, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences N.F. Makiyenko, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences I.I. Zlotnikov, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences T.Sh. Salikbayeva, Candidate of Pedagogic Sciences U.B. Yeslyamova, Doctor of Pedagogic Sciences, K.M. Kertayeva, Doctor of Pedagogic Sciences K.A. Nurumzhanova, Candidate of Physico-mathematical Sciences S.I. Igonin, Associate Professor A.D. Gutenko.

A new stage of the Department development has began with the establishment of a Master's degree program in Physics in 2001, Instrumentation in 2003 and a post-graduate course in Deformable Solid Mechanics in 2002. Doctor of Physico-mathematical Sciences, Professor S.K. Tleukenov was in charge of the scientific supervision. In 2006, the Department graduates N.A. Ispulov and Sh.N. Sarymova defended their Candidate's dissertations.

The Department graduates T.S. Dosanov and M.K. Zhukenov defended their Candidate's dissertations in 2010. More than 10 people successfully finished Master's degree programs and now teach at the departments of the Faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Information Technology, as well as in PSPI and InEU: A.B. Alina, L.A. Yeltinova, E.Sh. Bekturganova, Ye.A. Peshkov, S. Aydakhan, and A.A. Kurmanov. A.A. Bayzhanova completed a Master's degree course in the USA under the Bolashak program. A.S. Naurazbekova and A. Borsukbayeva finished a Doctoral degree program in ENU. T.G. Kisikov is now in the USA studying a Master's degree program.

The Department graduates work productively in higher and secondary education institutions, research institutes and industrial laboratories and different spheres of production.