Michael M. Swann was born to Maurice M. and Jeanette M. (Ziegel) Swann in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1972, Swann earned a bachelor of arts degree in History and Geography at the University of Kansas, and in 1975, earned a master's degree in Geography and certificate in Latin American Studies from Syracuse University. Swann went on to earn his doctorate in Geography from Syracuse University in 1980 with the thesis, "Population and Settlement in Late-Colonial Nueva Vizcaya: The Causes, Patterns and Consequences of Demographic Change in a Frontier Region."

After teaching at Syracuse University, University of Oklahoma, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Swann joined the architecture programs at the University of Kansas (KU) and Kansas State University (KSU) as the director at the Regents Center for Architectural Studies, now known as the Kansas City Design Center, from 1988-1991. While serving as director, Swann also taught as an assistant professor in the College of Architectue, Design and Planning at KSU from 1989 to 1991.

In 1991, Swann became the director of the graduate program in Architectural Management at the University of Kansas-Edwards Campus. Swann also became an assistant dean at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at KU, as well as teaching as an associate professor in the School of Architecture and Design and as a faculty member in Latin American Studies at KU. In his position as a faculty member, Swann taught courses in vernacular architecture, architectural history, urban history, urban design, community and neighborhood development, and landscape interpretation.

In 1997, Swann was promoted to an associate dean in the School of Architecture, Design, and Planning at KU. In 2018, Swann became the Interim Chair for the Department of Architecture and then the Interim Director of the Interior Architecture Program in 2019.

Swann has authored a number of publications on the history of cities in the Americas from Pre-Columbian times to the present, including two books titled Migrants in the Mexican North: Mobility, Economy and Society in a Colonial World and Tierra Ademtro: Settlement and Society in Colonial Durango. Swann has also been a principal investigator for over 40 grants and taken part in over 100 academic presentations. Swann served as an active member of the American Institute of Architects/Kansas City chapter and participated in a number of fellowships from public agencies, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, scholarly institutions such as the Newberry Library, and private corporations such as the Shell Companies International. Swann was awarded the National Presidential Recognition Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1992 and named the Vice Chancellor's Fellow at KU from 1998 to 2000.

Michael Swann married Patricia Lambert Swann on December 30, 1978. They have three children: Helen Yi-Min Swann, Jack Yi-An Swann, and Katharine Yi-Ling Swann.