Five star rating for JCU

September 9, 2012: - In a five star performance, James Cook University’s graduates have a more positive outcome in gaining employment or pursuing further study within four months of graduation than those from most other Australian universities according to the 2013 edition of the Good Universities Guide.

JCU was awarded the top level of five stars along with only seven other universities in the categories of “getting a full-time job” and “Positive graduate outcomes” in the Guide which has just been published.

It is the second consecutive year that JCU has made it into to the top category for graduate employment and this year its ranking improved from four stars to five stars for the positive outcomes field to complete the double.

The University also improved its ranking for “teaching quality” gaining four stars based on how graduates rated the teaching quality of their courses.

JCU’s Vice Chancellor Professor Sandra Harding said it was very pleasing to see the high-ranking of the graduates’ ability to get a job confirmed.

“This is particularly true of our engineering and technology graduates with 92 per cent of them finding work within four months of graduating - considerably higher than the national average of 80 per cent,” she said.

“Our strategic aim is to create a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference,” she said, “and we cannot achieve that aim unless our graduates are either out there working in their chosen fields or continuing their studies and hopefully making discoveries.

“Gaining a five star ranking in these fields, which are based on various data collected by governments and analysed by the Guide, shows we are being successful,” Professor Harding said.

Overall JCU received five star rankings in four fields: getting a job, positive graduate outcomes, gender balance, and Indigenous participation. It received four stars in another three areas: teaching quality, access by equity groups, and entry flexibility.

Professor Harding said it was interesting to note that the increase in the number of tertiary students across Australia had caused the Guide to recalibrate the way it measured the size of universities.

“Last year, we were classified as a ‘big’ university because we had more than 16,500 students. This year we have just under 20,000 students but are considered ‘small’,” she said.

Australia now has nine universities with more than 40,000 students each.

Issued: September 9, 2012

JCU Media Liaison, Jim O’Brien 07 4781 4822 or 0418 892449