The School of Architecture (SOA), as part of a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, exists to provide an excellent student-centered, accredited professional architectural education in an urban context. A UDM SOA education seeks to develop architects who are sensitive designers; technically competent; exhibit the highest ethical and professional standards; are socially responsible and culturally aware.

The architecture program at the University of Detroit began in 1922 with the establishment of the Department of Architectural Engineering within the College of Engineering. The program sought to affirm the values of the Jesuit tradition by providing students with " ... a thorough grounding in the sciences as well as the essentials of a liberal education." This belief continues to the present. The original program, as stated in the university catalog, emphasized, " ... in addition to the basic study of civil engineering, students were given adequate training in pen and ink rendering, water colors, heating and ventilating, sanitation of populous sections and architectural construction". This attitude clearly indicates that the program was primarily conceived as an engineering discipline; it is evident from the initial curriculum that architecture as an art was neither appreciated nor understood.

The evolution of the Architectural Engineering program into an independent school began in 1957 with the efforts of Fr. Lawrence J. Green, S.J. When Fr. Green joined the Jesuit order, he had already been a practicing architect. Both his maturity and professional background led to the conclusion that the Architectural Engineering program was seriously outdated and served neither the profession of engineering nor architecture particularly well. Under his direction the program was lengthened from five to six years and was re-titled as "Department of Architecture" in the University Bulletin. The re-classification facilitated the incorporation of additional architecture classes since a complete revision of the curriculum was precluded by the Department's position within the College of Engineering.

In June of 1961, Bruno Leon was hired as chair and began the transformation of the existing hybrid program into an autonomous School of Architecture. A completely new curriculum was developed and implemented and, with the addition of several new full-time faculty positions, the program was entirely re-structured. The first Bachelor of Architecture degrees were conferred in 1963. In 1964, the Department became an independent School of Architecture, accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, with Bruno Leon as its Dean.

In 1961, the Department of Architecture had an enrollment of approximately 80 students and five full-time faculty. It was housed on the third floor of the Engineering Building, facilities woefully inadequate to its needs. In 1975 the old Science Building was renamed the Architecture Building and was renovated to accommodate the School. Due to the capacity of the building, it was decided to limit the size of the School to 260 students; this was the maximum number that would allow students to have individual studio space, yet be of a scale to permit personalized interaction with the faculty. By 1995 the School had grown to near capacity with 238 students and ten full-time and numerous adjunct faculty. In 1992 Bruno Leon retired as dean after thirty years of service. During the 1992-1993 academic year, Nicholas Chatas, a tenured professor, served as acting dean while a national search was conducted. In May of 1993, Stephen Vogel, FAIA began duties as the new Dean of the School of Architecture and serves in that capacity today. Dean Vogel has brought to the School a reconfirmed commitment to a broad based liberal education and an understanding of the role of the School in serving the urban community of Detroit in which the School resides. This commitment was formalized by the establishment of the Detroit Collaborative Design Center as an integral, design and applied research institute of the School of Architecture. The Design Center now enjoys a national reputation for its outstanding design for civic and community organizations. The enrollment in the School of Architecture has expanded to capacity at approximately 265 students.

In the 1998, the Board of Trustees of the University of Detroit Mercy approved the re-titling of the five calendar year Bachelor of Architecture degree to a Master of Architecture degree.

Since this transition could not occur until six months prior to an NAAB Visiting Team, the actual transition started in 2001. The final B.Arch degree was conferred in December of 2007.

In 2006 the interdisciplinary Master of Community Development degree was created and administratively housed in the School of Architecture. This degree was designed in direct response to the University and School commitment to engagement in the community and participation in the redevelopment of Detroit. Also in 2006 the undergraduate and interdisciplinary "eCrit" program was moved from the English Department to the School of Architecture and renamed Digital Media Studies. This move was in part to take advantage of the knowledge base in architecture and to reinvigorate the program.

Today the School is exploring expanding its program offerings into the fields of Interior Architecture, Urbanism and Architectural Engineering.