The Speed Scientific School was established in 1925 as a result of an endowment from the James Breckenridge Speed Foundation, a memorial to the late James Breckenridge Speed created by his son and daughter, Dr. William S. Speed and Mrs. Olive Speed Sackett of Louisville. The income from this endowment is used exclusively as a supplementary means of support of the activities for the school.
James Breckenridge Speed (1844-1912), an industrial pioneer in the City of Louisville, was the scion of an illustrious Kentucky family. He was a leader in the establishment of Louisville ‘s street railway system. He also developed and operated large coal interests in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and was among the first to recognize the significance that Portland Cement would have in the growth of America. The industries in which he maintained an active interest until his death in 1912 have been a nucleus around which the City of Louisville and its greater metropolitan area have grown to their present industrial stature. It is fitting that his memory be perpetuated in an engineering school bearing his name.
Dr. William S. Speed and Mrs. Olive Speed Sackett contributed generously to the building of the school, having made additional grants toward the erection of the James B. Speed Building, Frederic M. Sackett Hall, and William S. Speed Hall. Mrs. Virginia Speed, wife of Dr. Speed, also contributed gifts and financial support prior to her death in 1969.
In 2003, the J.B. Speed Scientific School officially changed its name to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering.
You may already know that Speed School is one of the most established, most diverse Engineering schools in the country. Here are the numbers behind those claims.
| J. B. Speed School | |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1925 |
| Undergraduate students | 1,986 |
| Graduate students | 727 |
| Master of Engineering students | 313 |
| Master of Science students | 222 |
| PhD students | 162 |
| Total student enrollment | 2,738 |
| Female | 625 |
| Male | 2,133 |
| Ethnicity Enrollment Breakdown | Percentage of Enrollment | Speed School Students |
|---|---|---|
| Asian | 6.79% | 186 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.89% | 124 |
| Black/African American | 6.36% | 174 |
| Two or More Races | 4.68% | 128 |
| White | 68.81% | 1,884 |
| Degrees Conferred | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Year | BS | MEng | MS | PhD | Certificates |
| 2019-2020 | 413 | 161 | 57 | 20 | 26 |
| 2018-2019 | 411 | 217 | 42 | 25 | 26 |
| 2017-2018 | 445 | 177 | 70 | 30 | 17 |
| 2016-2017 | 377 | 163 | 64 | 26 | 9 |
| 2015-2016 | 301 | 198 | 71 | 19 | 12 |
| 2014-2015 | 272 | 177 | 52 | 40 | 7 |
| 2013-2014 | 247 | 147 | 36 | 49 | 28 |
| 2012-2013 | 255 | 218 | 24 | 26 | 27 |
Departmental data is available for the following: