James Cook University

About James Cook University

James Cook University was established to conduct teaching and research on areas of importance to North Queensland and the tropics world-wide.  Our focus is on producing graduates who have the expertise and intellectual curiosity to make a difference in their profession and their communities and conducting the research needed to meet the challenges facing the tropical world.  We are also committed to producing the professional workforce for under-served communities and providing access and opportunity to those who may not have previously been able to access higher education. Started in 1960 in Townsville as a University College of The University of Queensland and established as a university in 1970, James Cook University has since expanded into a multi-campus institution with the largest campuses located in Townsville and Cairns. Our footprint now extends beyond northern Queensland to include our Singapore Campus which combines research and teaching and demonstrates our commitment to the Asian region and internationalization, particularly in the tropics. JCU also has a presence in Brisbane by means of a campus operated by Russo Higher Education. At JCU staff and students benefit from our tropical location to conduct at or above world standard research in the following areas: environmental science and management; fisheries sciences; geochemistry, geology, evolutionary biology, plant biology, zoology; tourism; inorganic chemistry, oceanography; physical geography and environmental geoscience; biochemistry and cell biology; genetics; materials engineering; immunology; neurosciences; nursing; specialist studies in education; anthropology; human geography; linguistics; and historical studies. The University is rated in the top 4% of universities in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Also known as the Shanghai Jiao Tong World Rankings), an achievement equaled/surpassed by only two other Queensland Universities. We recognize that the University is judged not only on its quality but equally on its relevance and impact beyond academia. Accordingly,  commit ourselves to the research excellence and high impact, particularly on issues of critical importance to the world’s tropics. We recognize our obligation to engage with industry and government, commercialize our research findings,  achieve critical mass through productive research partnerships with other research organizations. JCU is a site and catalyst for innovation and understanding. Our teaching is high-quality, innovative and engaging to students. Our approach is characterized by personal contact with students and we provide alternate modes of delivery responsive to their needs, in a contemporary learning environment, ensuring contact with teachers and other students. JCU is a contemporary and dynamic institution and a major driver of economic growth and social change in northern Queensland, as well as having an international impact and reach. JCU recognizes its “power of place” and engages with all its communities and industry to promote a sustainable region that is socially inclusive. As northern Queensland is a site for a first and second roll-out of the National Broadband Network, JCU will work with the Government to maximize the opportunities that the NBN presents to reduce the disadvantage of distance and provide opportunities for students to access education and resources.

Strategic Intent –

Creating a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference.

Comprehensive, but focused

We are a comprehensive University. Our teaching and research focus on four themes:

Tropical Ecosystems and Environment

Industries and Economies in the Tropics

Peoples and Societies in the Tropics

Tropical Health, Medicine and Biosecurity.

Place is powerful

The Tropics are our place: a vast geographic area that Aristotle called the Torrid Zone. Our three tropical campuses are complemented and extended by regional and remote study centers and research stations.

Students are at the heart of our University and we inspire them to make a difference in their fields of endeavor and in their communities by:

Delivering high-quality teaching and learning programs in a research-rich environment, and

Fostering their professional expertise and intellectual curiosity.

Embracing the diversity of the communities we serve in two countries, we work with them to create opportunities and enduring benefits for our region and beyond. Acknowledging the First Nation peoples of the world, their rich cultures and their knowledge of the natural environment, we pay particular respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of Australia. We are pledged to achieve genuine and sustainable reconciliation between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community.

An international University as reflected in our people, our places, and our research, we take quiet pride in being recognized as a leading tertiary institution in Australia, our Asia-Pacific region and among the universities of the world.