University of Louisville Undergraduate Catalog
Admission to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Application Process
Students apply for admission to the J.B. Speed
School of Engineering by completing a University of
Louisville undergraduate application. The application
and detailed directions are located online at the
University admissions website.
Students are admitted to the School of Engineering
on either a degree seeking or non-degree seeking
basis. High School visitors, visiting students from
other institutions, auditors, post baccalaureate
students, and continuing studies students are
considered non-degree seeking. All other students are
considered degree seeking. Applicants will be
notified by the University’s Office of Admissions of
their status and of the conditions of their enrollment
at the time they are accepted. Students planning to
earn degrees from the School of Engineering must be
degree-seeking in order for the credits they have
earned to apply toward their degrees. Students remain
in a degree-seeking status until they graduate,
transfer to another college or university, or are
suspended/ dismissed.
Freshmen Students
Admission requirements vary between the different
schools in the university. A student is eligible for
admission to the academic programs of the School of
Engineering upon the basis of courses taken in high
school, grade-point average, and test scores achieved
on either the ACT or SAT. For unconditional
admission, entering freshman students should meet
the following requirements.
 High School Curriculum Requirements: All
schools require graduation from an accredited
high school and completion of the Kentucky Pre-
College Curriculum requirements. In addition,
Speed School requires successful completion of
the following courses in high school:
o Calculus or pre-calculus
o Chemistry
o Physics
 Grade Point Average Requirements: A
cumulative high school grade point average of at
least 3.00 on a 4.00 scale (“B” average).
 ACT/SAT Test Score Requirements: ACT
composite, mathematics, and science scores of at
least 24; or SAT composite score (critical reading
and mathematics) of 1090 and mathematics score
of 560.
JB Speed School of Engineering
Summer 2010 – Spring 2011
Transfer Students
Students with fewer than 24 transferable semester
hours are considered in a similar fashion as freshman
students and must meet the admissions requirements
for new freshmen and have a 2.5 college grade point
average. Students with 24 hours or more transferable
semester hours must have a 2.5 college grade point
average and no deficiencies in mathematics or
science.
The Speed School of Engineering requires a
minimum “C-” grade for any transferred course to be
accepted as credit toward a degree. A transfer student
must earn at least sixty semester hours applicable
toward the baccalaureate degree at a fully accredited
four-year college or university. Thirty of the last
thirty-six semester hours must be earned at the
University of Louisville.
Admission Status
Successful applicants who satisfy all Speed School
requirements will be granted unconditional admission
with a “Good Standing” status. If there is a
deficiency in academic qualifications, successful
applicants will be either admitted to Speed School on
“Limited Load” status or to the School of Arts and
Sciences in a pre-engineering curriculum.
Good standing
Freshman students (and transfer students with less
than 24 hours) who satisfy all requirements will be
granted unconditional admission into the Department
of Engineering Fundamental with a “Good Standing”
status. After one year in Engineering Fundamentals
(31 credit hours), qualified students will be accepted
into their major department. Transfer students who
have completed all courses required by Engineering
Fundamentals will be admitted directly into their
major department.
Limited load
Applicants who have completed high school
curriculum requirements, but whose high school
cumulative grade point average is between 2.8 and
3.0, or whose ACT composite, mathematics, or
science scores are 22 or 23 (SAT composite between
1020 and 1090 or mathematics score between 530
and 560), will be admitted to the Department of
Admissions Policies
University of Louisville Undergraduate Catalog
Engineering Fundamentals on “Limited Load” status.
Transfer students who do not satisfy all requirements
will also be admitted on “Limited Load” status. This
restricts student load to 14 hours for fall/spring
semesters and 10 hours for summer. Students will be
removed from limited load after the first semester if
they achieve a 2.5 grade point average (with at least
12 hours) or once they have a 2.0 in at least 24 hours.
Arts & Sciences pre-engineering
Applicants who do not meet high school curriculum
requirements for Speed School or are below grade
point average or test score requirements, but still
satisfy university admission requirements, will be
admitted to Arts and Sciences in a pre-engineering
curriculum. The pre-engineering curriculum prepares
students for the mathematics and sciences courses in
the Speed School curriculum. Students who complete
the pre-engineering curriculum with at least C grades
and have a cumulative grade point average above
2.25 can complete an intra-university transfer to
Speed School.
Readmission
If a student has a break in enrollment of two or more
calendar years, the student must apply for
readmission by completing a University of Louisville
undergraduate application. If admitted, the student
will be subject to catalog requirements in effect at the
time of readmission.
Non-degree Students
High School visitors, visiting students from other
institutions, auditors, post baccalaureate students, and
continuing studies students wishing to take courses
offered by the School of Engineering must complete
a University of Louisville undergraduate application.
Upon admission, students may enroll in classes for
which they have completed the prerequisites or by
faculty permission. The credits earned by non-degree
students typically will not apply towards program
requirements if a student later becomes a degree
seeking student.
JB Speed School of Engineering
Summer 2010 – Spring 2011
Admission Requirements to Departmental
Studies
A formal application for acceptance to Departmental
Studies should be made during the semester in which
the student will complete the 31 hours of core courses
in Engineering Fundamentals. The application form,
which indicates the student’s choice of specialization,
is available from the Engineering Fundamentals
advising office and should be returned to the office.
Students are notified after semester grades are posted
and qualifications are confirmed.
Acceptance into Departmental Studies is based upon
requirements in effect when the student is admitted to
Engineering Fundamentals. Current requirements are
that a student must have a 2.0 grade point average
(GPA) in the prescribed set of core courses. In
addition, the student must be in good standing with
the University, which requires an overall cumulative
GPA of 2.0.
Admission Requirements for Graduate
Studies
Students desiring to pursue the Master of Engineering
degree must formally apply for admission to
Graduate Studies in the School of Engineering. The
application form is available from the Speed School
of Academic Affairs and should be returned to the
same office. The application should be submitted
prior to completion of undergraduate Departmental
Studies, typically not earlier than one semester before
completing their baccalaureate requirements.
Application may also be made prior to this time if an
undergraduate student wishes to take courses which
would apply toward their graduate degree. A student
admitted to Graduate Studies is considered a graduate
student and pays graduate tuition for all courses.
Requirements for admission or readmission to
Graduate Studies are:
• Completion of a program of studies
equivalent to that obtained through
Engineering Fundamentals and
Departmental Studies for the field of
specialization in which the student desires to
receive the Master of Engineering degree;
• Recommendation by the faculty and chair of
the student’s department for admission or
readmission to Graduate Studies;
• Cumulative baccalaureate grade point
average of 2.50 for all prior academic course
work completed in the program. However,
those students with cumulative
Admissions Policies
University of Louisville Undergraduate Catalog Summer 2010 – Spring 2011

baccalaureate grade-point averages from
2.25 to 2.50 may be admitted upon petition
and approval of the chair and faculty of that
department, other than Civil and
Environmental Engineering (which has no
provision for petitions).
A student becomes a candidate for the Master of
Engineering degree upon admission to Graduate
Studies and initial registration as a graduate student.
Residency
A candidate for the Master of Engineering degree
who does not register for credit hours must maintain
active registration by paying a fee each semester for
M.Eng. residency until the degree is awarded, i.e., the
candidate must maintain continuous registration,
including summer terms, in Graduate Studies.
Failure to pay the M. Eng residency fee will be cause
to cancel a student’s candidacy. In order to be
restored to candidacy, the student must have the
recommendation of the department chair, receive the
approval of the Associate Dean and pay the fee for
each of the semesters during which the candidacy
was void.
status for two consecutive terms may be considered
for dismissal from the program.
Students receiving graduate assistantships (teaching,
research or service) shall be provided adequate
training and shall be required to understand and
adhere to University policies related to these areas.
The performance of teaching, research and service
duties by such students shall be periodically
evaluated. Students with teaching assistantships shall
be evaluated annually.
Students who fail to meet performance goals or who
do not meet other requirements as outlined in the
admission letter, program requirements or the
University catalog may be subject to academic
dismissal from their programs.

Transfer credit
A maximum of six hours of graduate level courses
taken as an undergraduate may be used to satisfy
Master of Engineering degree requirements.

Academic Performance in Speed Graduate

Studies

The minimum grade point average requirement for

good standing and satisfaction of degree
requirements is:
a) 3.00 for work completed while in graduate
studies for M.S. and Ph.D. programs,
b) 2.75 for work completed while in graduate
studies for M.Eng. programs

The minimum grade point average requirement and

other performance criteria for maintenance of good
standing and progress toward degree in the J.B.
Speed School of Engineering and the individual
academic programs are found in the university
catalog, which is available at
http://louisville.edu/graduatecatalog/academic-
policies-and-requirements.

Any student who does not satisfy the published

performance criteria shall be placed in probationary
status. Any student who remains in probationary

JB Speed School of Engineering Admissions Policies