Architecture first appeared at the university in the 1945-1946 school year. Then it was a two-year program offered through the College of Technology. In 1946, both architecture and architectural engineering were being offered within the College of Engineering. While the study of architecture remained within the College of Engineering through the 1955-1956 school year, a "new plan" for architectural training was initiated in the fall of 1950. This plan integrated all phases of architectural instruction in four channels: design, construction, aesthetics, and graphics. The School of Architecture began in the fall of 1956 and in the fall of 1961 it became the College of Architecture.

In March of 1997 Gerald D. Hines donated $7 million to the College of Architecture at the University of Houston. In honor of the gift, the school was renamed the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. The gift was by far the largest ever received by the architecture school and among the 10 largest gifts received by UH.

Today, the study of architecture at the University of Houston is focused on design as the fundamental, essential activity of the discipline. As a public college of architecture located in a major urban setting, the college is able to take advantage of the numerous cultural, professional and industrial resources of the fourth largest city in America. With its unique form and vitality, Houston provides an exceptional laboratory for exploring problems and potentials of contemporary society.