IFSA-Butler at James Cook University

  Australia

• Queensland: 
Townsville,  Cairns

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer 
Dates: February - November

Description: Located in the Australian tropics, James Cook University offers access to plant and animal life that make the university attractive to not only biology majors but to all nature enthusiasts. Its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef (five hours by boat from the Townsville campus, one or two hours by boat from the Cairns campus) makes it ideal for marine science students, although non-science majors will also find plenty of interesting and challenging courses from which to choose.

IFSA-Butler students must choose between two campuses. The main campus in Townsville is uniquely situated between mountains and the coast, allowing for outdoor recreation on land and water. The suburb of Douglas, which borders the university, offers access to shops and entertainment, and the city center of Townsville proper is easily accessible by bus. IFSA-Butler students live in one of the residential colleges on the James Cook campus. Set up as a more close-knit dorm, each residential hall has its own character and social scene, often offering clubs, throwing parties and fielding sporting teams. Specific clubs or activities not available at the college level can probably be found on a university-wide level. Past students have found these clubs invaluable for meeting Australians, as it is an ideal way of meeting people with similar interests.

The Cairns campus, situated four hours north of Townsville, is smaller than the main campus but offers more immediate access to the Great Barrier Reef (some portions of which are less than an hour away by boat), which contributes to the city's character as a thriving tourist destination. Students live in Oyster Court, an off-campus accommodation in nearby Trinity Beach. The Cairns campus offers many of the same activities, clubs and sporting teams that are available at the main campus, but it is also ideal for the independent student who wants to be surrounded by fewer Americans.

Highlights: Australia is a land of compelling extremes. The oldest datable land forms on earth are found in Australia, but it was the last continent to be discovered by Western explorers. It is the longest continuously inhabited continent on earth but has a written history of only 213 years. It is the smallest continent on the planet but it is also the largest island. Settled as a convict prison, today the country of Australia is one of the freest democratic societies in the world. As large as the continental United States in land area, it is home to barely 18 million people, the same population as the state of California. In a land of vast unsettled spaces, over 80 percent of the population lives in one of the five major cities.

Originally the European settlers were almost exclusively English and Irish. Today the country has sizable populations of Italians, Greeks, Malays, Indonesians and Chinese to enrich the cultural mix of this once isolated island. It is this diversity and this incredible backdrop that make Australia truly an education by itself. Combine this with the academic excellence of its universities, and you have a study abroad destination like no other.

The academic year in Australia is reversed due to the seasonal inversion in the southern hemisphere. The academic year roughly follows the calendar year, beginning in late February and ending in late November. The application deadlines for IFSA-Butler programs in Australia are November 15 for the spring semester and academic year and March 15 for the fall semester. Remember that if you leave in February for your 'spring' semester, you will be arriving in Australia at the end of their summer and will stay until the middle of their winter season.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Inquire for more info.

Experience Required: no