James Cook University Townsville: Guide to North Queensland Higher EducationUpdated

Townsville's higher education sector is anchored by James Cook University (JCU), with the JCU Townsville campus at Douglas being the main campus of one of Australia's most distinctive research universities. JCU's particular focus on the tropics (the university's formal mission is "the development of the tropics") gives it a unique research niche among Australian universities and attracts researchers and postgraduate students from across Australia and from tropical nations across the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. The JCU Townsville campus is the largest university campus in Queensland by land area and the main driver of Townsville's knowledge economy, with the Douglas precinct (adjacent to the JCU campus) housing the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS, Australia's principal tropical marine research agency) and other major research institutions.

James Cook University (JCU) Townsville — the JCU Douglas campus (James Cook Drive, Douglas, 10 minutes from the Townsville CBD) covers 295 hectares and provides the full range of JCU undergraduate and postgraduate programs across sciences, medicine, law, education, arts, and business. JCU's research strengths are globally recognised in marine biology and reef science (the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies is Australia's premier coral research centre), tropical ecology and biodiversity, public health in tropical and remote environments, and veterinary science (the JCU College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences). The JCU campus is home to the Townsville University Hospital (the major clinical teaching hospital for north Queensland medical students) and the Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Impacts.

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) — AIMS (Townsville, adjacent to the JCU campus) is Australia's principal tropical marine research agency and one of the world's leading institutions for reef science, coral biology, and tropical marine ecology. AIMS's collaboration with JCU creates a remarkable concentration of tropical marine science expertise in Townsville that is internationally significant. AIMS provides research higher degree opportunities for JCU students and employs many JCU graduates.

CQUniversity Townsville — the CQUniversity Townsville campus provides access-focused higher education and vocational training in the Townsville CBD, with strong programs in nursing, business, and community services relevant to north Queensland's service economy.

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