James Cook University offers excellence in teaching and research in a unique tropical setting. It has developed rapidly over the past thirty years to become one of Queensland’s premier universities and an internationally renowned tropical university. JCU has campuses in Cairns, Townsville and Mackay plus specialist research, teaching and learning sites throughout Queensland and northern Australia.
Wide choice of courses
Students
have a wide range of courses to select from - over 140 undergraduate and
over 90 postgraduate programs, many leading to professional
qualifications. Courses range across the Arts, Social Sciences, Health
Sciences, Education, Science, Business, Law and the Creative Arts. JCU
works with employers and industry to ensure courses are relevant and
cutting edge. Many joint degree programs are available, equipping
students with additional expertise and qualifications for their careers.
A research university
JCU is a
high-ranking research university. For our students this means excellent
facilities, highly qualified teaching staff, and courses that are
constantly informed by discovery and new ways of looking at things. JCU
makes the most of its tropical location and has a particularly strong
international reputation for its expertise in matters relating to the
tropics - marine biology, environmental studies, tropical health and
agriculture, to name just a few. Specialist research facilities are
outstanding - from island and rainforest field stations and the latest
technologies for computing and scientific research to archives, museums
and historical collections. Our research capabilities, coupled with our
smaller class sizes, provide undergraduate students with opportunities
for field trips, visits to research stations and access to what would
normally be postgraduate-only facilities at other institutions. JCU is a
partner in six national Cooperative Research Centres (or CRCs), for
example, the CRC for Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the CRC
for Sustainable Tourism. JCU ranks in the top third of all Australian
universities in terms of Australian Research Council funding. The total
expenditure on research at JCU in 1999 was $16 million, of which $9.6
million was received as competitive research funding.
Career prospects
Excellent graduate
employment outcomes are a measure of our course and teaching quality. JCU
achieved 100 per cent employment among, for example, nursing science and
computer science students (from Graduate Careers Council report, 1998). A
JCU qualification is extremely portable. This is proven by our graduate
successes in a range of fields - locally, nationally and
internationally.
The popular annual publication The Good Universities Guide to
Universities, TAFE & Private Colleges in 2000 recognises that
students expect quality learning experiences while at university and then
employment opportunities when they graduate. This publication surveys
students and statistics and ranks all Australian universities according
to a series of criteria including:
• The Student Experience and
• Graduate Outcomes.
For Student Experience, JCU ranked equal first among all Queensland
Universities. For Graduate Outcomes, JCU ranked second among all
Queensland universities.
International profile
JCU is
proud of its international profile and seeks to maintain and promote
linkages with universities and research institutions world-wide, to
foster student and staff exchanges and research collaboration. JCU aims
to provide its graduates with the qualifications and skills for entry
into the global workforce. Student exchange schemes operate between JCU
and the following overseas universities: University of Calgary, Canada;
Hokkaido University of Education, Japan; Uppsala University, Sweden;
Northern Arizona University, USA; University of Miami, USA; Western
Illinois University, USA; State University of New York, Oswego, USA.
Teaching excellence
Teaching
staff are highly qualified and dedicated. JCU has an above average
proportion of academic staff with PhDs, and many JCU academics are
considered to be world leaders in their fields. Regular reviews are
undertaken to further enhance teaching quality. Innovation in the use of
teaching styles and teaching technologies is fundamental to JCU’s
approach to teaching.
Friendly campuses
With over 10,700
students, JCU is renowned for its friendliness and sense of family. JCU
students never feel like just another number - with smaller class sizes,
good staff-student ratios, friendly campuses and effective support
services, our students receive the personal attention they need to
achieve their best. And with an increasing number of courses offered by
flexible delivery, JCU students also have flexibility in planning their
studies.
Unique region
A bonus for JCU
students is that they get a great education in a stunning location.
JCU’s campuses are located in a remarkable region - north Queensland
- a place where hundreds of thousands of international visitors come each
year to experience the unique beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and World
Heritage listed rainforest. North Queensland offers a great range of
activities to its visitors and residents - snorkelling among coral reefs,
white water rafting, visiting the rainforests, tablelands and the
outback.