Welcome from the Dean

One of the world's leading institutions focusing on the tropics, Australia's James Cook University is surrounded by the spectacular ecosystems of the rainforests, the Wet tropics, the dry savannahs, and the iconic Great Barrier Reef. Our unique location enables students from Australia and overseas to study in a diverse physical environment unparalleled by any university in the world.

James Cook University is dedicated to creating a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide, through graduates and discoveries that make a difference. We aim to be the university of choice for researchers interested in tropical problems.

The University conducts nationally significant and internationally recognised research in areas such as marine sciences, biodiversity, tropical ecology and environments, global warming, tourism, and tropical medicine and public health care in under-served populations.

Since our establishment in 1970, JCU has expanded into a multi-campus institution with our main campuses in the tropical cities of Cairns, Singapore and Townsville.

We aim to give graduates the qualifications and skills they need for the global workforce. We also recognise our special obligation to be relevant to our own region and have forged close linkages into the economy and social fabric of the northern Queensland. We are dedicated to ensuring that our research is not only of high quality, but also delivers practical benefits to the peoples and industries of the tropics.

JCU provides strong support for its HDR candidates via a range of tuition fee and living stipend scholarships, for both domestic and international candidates. JCU's scholarship round closes on August 31 each year for international candidatures, October 31 each year for domestic candidates.

A range of different graduate research degrees are available including the MPhil, PhD, and Professional Doctorates. Our degrees are structured to provide maximum support to our research higher degree graduates and we provide high quality professional development programs to enrich the experience of our HDR candidates, help them finish their degree in a timely manner and equip them for a wide range of careers.

All of our research degree graduates are eligible to apply for a temporary graduate visa, which allows them to live and work in Australia, for up to four years.

Professor Christine Bruce
Dean Graduate School of Research