The museum began to take shape in 1972 with the founding of the university and is closely linked to the research work of the university's archaeologists and ethnographers. In 1973, the first archaeological expedition of history students was organized by E.A. Savelieva (Ph.D.). The collected exhibits became the foundation of the future museum's collection and were displayed at an exhibition that same year.

Alongside archaeological research, ethnographic studies were conducted, led by V.A. Semenov (Ph.D., professor). Many museum exhibits were found by him during fieldwork. In 1978, the first permanent exhibition of archaeological finds was created, followed by an ethnographic exhibition. A significant contribution to the museum's development was made by Tatyana Ivanovna Chudova.

Initially, the work was carried out on a voluntary basis, and the official establishment of the museum took place on July 29, 1982. For the opening of the VI International Congress of Finno-Ugric Studies in 1985, an exhibition was arranged that lasted until 1998.

In 1999, after the history department moved to a new building on Kataev Street, 9, a project for a new museum exhibition was developed to meet modern standards.

The museum's collection contains over 800,000 items. The archaeological materials cover a period from 10,000 years ago to the 14th century AD. The ethnographic materials reflect the traditional culture of the Komi people, including the main occupations of the population and aspects of material and spiritual culture.