Academic Focus
This program offers full immersion in the Australian education system at the James Cook University (JAC) in Cairns, a leading tropical research university with highly recognized teaching faculty members. You will study side-by-side with Australian students and other international students at the JAC's campus in Cairns, one of Australia's most visited cities. Choose your courses from a wide range of electives, thereby earning credit toward your major or additional graduation requirements. You may choose any course from JAC's full course catalog, including Arts, Business, Creative Arts, Education, Engineering, Environmental and Tropical Sciences, Health Sciences, Information Technology and Social Sciences.
A special aspect of the JAC program is the chance to study subjects which contain a field trip component in some of Australia's most beautiful regions, enabling you to learn from hands-on experience in a chosen discipline. Students can undertake fieldwork on the reef, in the rainforest, or on an archaeology site; each of them offering a special educational experience. Some of the more popular subjects with field trip components include art, botany, biology, earth science, zoology, environmental science and indigenous and Aboriginal Studies. This field studies component is uniquely offered by the James Cook University in Cairns. Students will be responsible for the associated field trip costs which will be charged by the university to the students while onsite.
As a CEA student at JAC you will take three to four electives per semester session. The Australia higher education system does not translate in-class contact hours to credits in the same way that the American system does. Most courses at JAC are worth three credit points, which equates to approximately 12 hours of study per unit per week, including class attendance, private study, library research, and so forth. The actual workload can vary from course to course and even week to week across the university. Due to the differences in the academic systems and the increased workload associated with Australian courses, CEA recommends taking no more than four courses per semester. Typically, students taking 12 credit points at JAC should earn 16 semester credits within the US system (9 credit points is the per semester minimum). However, it is up to the discretion of your academic advisor how many credits will be awarded.
Schedule Summary
Due to the differences in the Australian higher education system, there is no standard for the number of days a week a course may meet. Class meeting times vary across departments and subject areas. Expect the number of times you meet with your class to be different from what you are used to at your home institution.
Course Registration
You will be required to submit your course selections to the CEA headquarters office prior to departure for Australia. This will allow you to be pre-approved by the departments and/or lecturers for entry into your chosen courses. We strongly encourage you to take care in choosing your courses as if you decide to make changes upon arrival, you must complete this approval process on your own. Final course registration will take place during the week following Orientation. While in Cairns, you must enroll in a minimum of three courses and a maximum of four courses per semester. There are no required courses. To aid in the registration process, it is in your best interest to have courses, including alternates, approved by your academic advisor prior to departure.
