About the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Information Technology
The Faculty of Science, Engineering and IT (SEIT) at James Cook University is amongst the best in Australia and is recognised internationally in its areas of strength – tropical and conservation biology, earth science, environmental science, fluid dynamics, advanced materials, and marine science.
The Faculty operates at the Cairns and Townsville campuses of JCU and is organised into four multidisciplinary schools:
National and International Standing
Indicators of the Faculty’s standing include:
-
Ranked in the top ten universities of Australia for Science (Melbourne Institute 2006)
-
Number 1 internationally for citations on coral reef ecology
-
Highest ranked Australian university for citations in Ecology/Environment over a 10-year period.
-
Leads Australia for articles in the top 15 journals in the field of marine and freshwater biology
In 2006 the School of Engineering was awarded professional accreditation by Engineers Australia for the maximum term of 5 years.
Teaching and Learning
In addition to its core undergraduate degrees – the B.Sc, the B.E and the B.InfTech – the Faculty offers a range of targeted qualifications, including the Bachelor of Planning which is accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia. Other specialist degrees offered by the Faculty include the Bachelor of Environmental Science, Bachelor of Marine Science, Bachelor of Conservation Biology, and the Bachelor of Tropical Agricultural Science.
At post-graduate level, the Faculty offers several Masters degrees, including the MAppSc, ME(Research), MIT, and MSc (Research). The Faculty also offers doctoral degrees in all of its major areas of study.
The Faculty achieved the highest overall rating of student satisfaction with teaching at JCU in 2006.
Research
SEIT is the acknowledged research leader within JCU, accounting for approximately 50% of the publications and 65% of research income.
The Faculty proudly hosts several leading research groups and centres, including:
-
Fish and Fisheries Research Centre
The Faculty is also a central partner in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies and the Advanced Analytical Centre.
Partnerships
An important feature of the Faculty’s research and teaching profile are the partnerships it maintains with several leading external research organisations. Of particular note are the joint venture partnership with the Australian Institute of Marine Science – AIMS@JCU, and the newly established Tropical Landscapes Joint Venture (TLJV) between JCU and CSIRO. From 2007, the TLJV provides for the co-location of JCU and CSIRO staff in new state-of the-art research facilities – the Australian Tropical Forest Institute (ATFI) based at the Cairns Campus (to be opened in 2007) and the yet to be completed Australian Tropical Sciences Innovation Precinct (ATSIP) at the Townsville Campus (opening in early 2009).
In 2007 JCU and BHP Billiton formed the Engineering Alliance, an industry linkage programme designed to support teaching and research excellence in North Queensland. The School of Engineering has also established significant industry partnerships with Uninet and Xstrata.
Xstrata has also partnered with the Economic Geology Research Unit in 2007 to establish a collaboration around mining and exploration projects of interest to the discovery and extraction of copper resources in the Mt Isa district.
The Faculty collaborates with several other organisations, including the Museum of Tropical Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Wet Tropics Management Authority and Geoscience Australia.
Research and Teaching Facilities
The Faculty operates several major teaching and research facilities. These include the Canopy Crane (Cape Tribulation), the Orpheus Island Research Centre, the RV James Kirby research vessel, the Aquarium Complex, and the Cyclone Testing Station. Further information on these facilities can be found in the accompanying web pages.
Additional information on the Faculty, its teaching programmes, research activities, and community engagement is provided at this site. We hope that you find the information interesting and informative. If you need to know more, please do not hesitate to contact us.
