James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in Cairns and Townsville. JCU also has study centres in Mount Isa, Mackay, Thursday Island and Rockhampton. A Brisbane campus, operated by Russo Higher Education, delivers undergraduate and postgraduate courses to international and domestic students.

The university's academic Colleges include Arts, Society and Education; Business, Law and Governance; Healthcare Sciences; Medicine and Dentistry; Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences; Science and Engineering; and Indigenous Education and Research.

Arts, Society and Education

• Humanities and Creative Media
• Social Sciences
• Social Work 
• Education

Business, Law and Governance

• Business
• Commerce
• Conflict Resolution
• Law
• Project Management

Healthcare Sciences

• Nursing and Midwifery
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Psychology
• Speech Pathology
• Sports and Exercise Science

Medicine and Dentistry

• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Pharmacy

Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences

• Biomedicine
• Public Health & Tropical Medicine
• Molecular & Cell Biology
• Veterinary Sciences

Science and Engineering

• Engineering
• Environmental Practice
• Geology
• Information Technology
• Marine Science
• Planning
• Science
• Technology and Innovation

Rankings

In the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, JCU was ranked within the top 300 universities worldwide and in the 2021/22 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) JCU was ranked No. 1 in the world for Marine & Freshwater Biology and No. 2 in the world for Biodiversity Conservation by the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR).

JCU was awarded five stars for full-time employment, skills development, student support, learner engagement and social equity by the 2021 Good Universities Guide.

Rankings by Subject

QS World University Rankings 2021

No 11 in Australia and 151-200th in the World for Archaeology

No 6 in Australia and 51-100th in the World for Earth & Marine Sciences

No 7 in Australia and 80th in the World for Environmental Sciences

No 11 in Australia and 101-150th in the World for Geology

No 4 in Australia and 51-100th in the World for Hospitality & Leisure Management

Campuses

Townsville

Around 13,000 students study at JCU Townsville, including over 1,500 international students.

The JCU Townsville, Douglas campus has been named Bebegu Yumba, which means “Place of Learning” in the Birri-Gubba language.

JCU Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus is located in the Townsville Tropical Intelligence and Health Precinct (TropiQ) in the suburb of Douglas. Set in a 386-hectare natural bush and parkland setting, 13 kilometres from the Townsville CBD, the campus houses around 1,400 students in colleges and halls of residence. Over 13,000 students are part of the JCU Townsville community, including approximately 1,500 international students.

Cairns

Close to 3,000 students study at JCU Cairns, including 335 international students.

These students are immersed in a dynamic learning environment with opportunities available for study, work, and play. With academic staff committed to student support and success, a careers team ready to assist students with work both during and post study, and a myriad of academic and sporting clubs on offer, students at JCU Cairns have a world of experiences available to them.

JCU Cairns, Smithfield campus has been named Nguma-bada (pronounced nom-ah-bud-ah), which means belonging to tomorrow: "Place for tomorrow's learning, knowledge and wisdom" from the Yirrgay (Yirrganydji) coastal dialect of Djabugay.

Conveniently located 15 kilometres north of the city centre, the campus is surrounded on three sides by rainforest-covered mountains and is close to the northern beaches. Students enjoy a tranquil learning environment due to the abundance of lush greenery and spacious areas.

Located in the heart of city, JCU Cairns, CBD campus has been named Bada-jali (pronounced bud-ah-jal-lee) and means flowering of the Cocky Apple tree: “Place and time for new beginnings and growth”, also from the Yirrgay (Yirrganydji) coastal dialect of Djabugay. The campus offers a range of flexible study, teaching, and meeting areas.

Brisbane

JCU Brisbane is conveniently located in a modern high-rise building in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD. Operated by Russo Higher Education, JCU Brisbane offers courses in accounting, business, education, hospitality and tourism, social work, and information technology.

Students in Brisbane can access dedicated student support including opportunities for enhanced job-support services, academic learning advisors, counselling, and employment assistance, as well as English language and academic pathways. The JCU Brisbane campus features interactive learning spaces, comfortable student lounges and a resource centre where students can mingle with university staff and fellow students from over 88 countries.

Rockhampton

JCU Rockhampton, delivering expert medical training, is located in a modern high rise building in the heart of the city. Postgraduate students can access the facilities as part of JCU’s GP Training Program. The JCU GP Training Program provides clinicians the opportunity to expand their scope of practice through working in private clinics and in hospitals where they’ll gain experience treating a range of conditions in low resource settings. The Program uses the Rockhampton location to provide medical education and administrative support, to doctors in the Central Queensland region.

Mackay

JCU Mackay provides a world-class education for healthcare professionals in nursing and pharmacy, as well as being one of the university's clinical training sites for the College of Medicine and Dentistry. Both the Bachelor of Nursing Science and the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) are offered at JCU Mackay campus locations.

JCU Mackay has two campuses, located at the JCU Mater Clinical Training Centre, Mater Hospital and the JCU Mackay Clinical School, Mackay Education Research Centre, Mackay Base Hospital. These campus locations provides students with extensive hands-on learning and clinical experience at both the Mater and Mackay Base Hospitals. Small class sizes and personalised support from teachers fosters the development of highly skilled graduates.