Semester at James Cook University - Townsville

Most courses at James Cook University are worth 3 credit points which is the equivalent of 3 - 4 US semester credits (as determined by your home institution). We encourage you to discuss credit transfer with your home institution prior to departure. Refer to the “Academic Records Policies” form in your Student Portal for more information.

You'll enroll in 3-4 courses at JCU. The James Cook University academic year begins each January. As you review course options, keep this in mind to ensure that you select courses from the correct semester. 

• Trimester 1: January – April (US Spring Semester) 

• Trimester 3: September – December (US Fall Semester) 

In Australia, “courses” typically refer to degree programs, while “units” or “subjects” refer to classes. Courses are not set in stone. You will be able to make changes to your initial list throughout the enrollment process. Although courses do not change tremendously from year-to-year, please be aware that you may need to make additional selections once units are officially published, past when courses are submitted.

How to find courses:

1. Click the catalog button. Filter by the following:

   1. Year: Most recent available

   2. Campus: Townsville Bebegu Yumba

   3. Level: Undergraduate

   4. Study Period: If you are studying abroad in Feb-June, select “Study Period 1”; If you are studying abroad in July-Nov, select “Study Period 2”.

   5. Attendance Mode: Internal (in-person)

      1. Mixed Attendance is also an option – this means some components of the subject are in-person and some are online.

      2. In accordance with the student visa regulations, students may choose to take a maximum of one External (fully online) subject if approved by the student’s home institution.

      3. Intensive subjects are typically not recommended for study abroad students as the subjects are taught within a condensed period of time (for example, over mid-semester break), so they may not fit in with your schedule.

      4. Placement/fieldwork subjects are not open to study abroad students.

2. Browse through the options that populate below, or narrow the search further by entering a keyword or subject code at the top.

3. Click on a subject code to view the subject description.

4. Once you identify 6-8 subjects that match your criteria, enter them into your application.

5. Further resources:

   1. Subject Codes and Prefixes: Use this to find the subject code for a particular study area. You can also refer to our list in the next section of these instructions below.

   2. JCU Enrolment Terminology: This glossary decodes the terms used in the subject catalog and subject descriptions.

   3. Subject Search Help: More details on how to search.

6. Note: The standard subject load at JCU is 4 subjects. If you are planning to take only 3 subjects, please ask your home institution for written approval to take only 3 subjects and send this to your program manager.

Generally when you view courses you’ll see them organized by 1000-4000 levels, however this can vary depending on the university.

• 1000-level course is the equivalent of a 200-level/sophomore level US course.

• 2000-level course is the equivalent of a 300-level/junior level US course.

• 3000-level course is the equivalent of a 400-level/senior level US course. (Note: These courses require a high level of competency and you will most likely need to fulfill numerous pre-requisites.)

• 4000-level + courses are graduate level and for the most part, are not open to study abroad students.

Your eligibility to enroll in courses will be determined by JCU faculty based on previous coursework reflected on your college transcript(s). Some subjects may indicate prerequisites. JCU will review your transcript to ensure you have met these prerequisites with equivalent classes, though not necessarily the exact class named in the prerequisite.

Program Eligibility:

• 2.5 minimum GPA: If GPA does not meet the minimum 2.5 requirement, we encourage you to apply as exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis.

• Minimum sophomore standing at a four-year institution at the time of participation.

• Freshmen and/or students attending a two-year institution may be considered on a case by case basis.