Curriculum

Quantum Computing

The URI quantum computing program is a 4-course, 12-credit, asynchronous, fully online graduate certificate program designed for career advancement. You can complete the program in just over two semesters and immediately leverage your enhanced skill set. 

This online certificate program complements our M.S. degree in Quantum Computing program, which is designed for those who will be pursuing a more rigorous training. 

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Courses

The certificate programs courses are designed to: 

  • refresh a background in math, with an emphasis on the language of quantum mechanics
  • establish a foundation in quantum mechanics
  • apply the foundation to the design of quantum algorithms
  • expand the knowledge of quantum computing to the technology involved in computation, teleportation, cryptography and circuitry. 

Through the courses, students will be developing ever more complex programs using IBM’s online Qiskit, an open-source software development kit, culminating in a project in the 4th semester.

PHY 571 Math Methods for Quantum Computing (3 credits)
Reviews the mathematics that underpins quantum mechanics. This course will serve as a refresher in linear algebra and introduces the Python computing language.

PHY 572 Quantum Foundations (3 credits)
Serves as an introduction to the foundations of quantum mechanics. The distinctions between classical and quantum worlds will be described and applications to quantum computing will be introduced. Special attention will be paid to entanglement and superposition. The representation of qubits as vectors terminating on the surface of a Bloch sphere will show how qubits can be transformed by reversible transformations.

PHY 573 (online) Introduction to Quantum Computing (3 credits)
Introduces the fundamentals of quantum computing and how it differs from classical computing, including how data is stored, processed, and measured. Basic quantum algorithms will be studied with the use of IBM’s Qiskit, and the importance of the quantum Fourier transform will be explored.

PHY574 (online) Advanced Quantum Computing (3 credits)
Presents applications of quantum theory to quantum computing and technology including software and hardware. Error connection techniques will be introduced. Quantum applications to molecular modeling, communications, and optimizations will be investigated. The essential components of a quantum computer will be presented and the implementation of qubits using various technologies will be described.

Meet the Program Director

Professor Leonard M. Kahn
Chair, URI Department of Physics

Quantum computing, while still in its infancy, is rapidly developing and spurring a revolution in the way complex problems can be solved. The economic and societal benefits will be substantial.

A student completing our certificate program will have both a foundational understanding as well as the practical knowledge to apply and design quantum algorithms. In addition, with the embedded project that is threaded through the courses, the student will have a fundamental understanding of more general aspects of quantum sensing, teleportation, cryptography, circuitry and communication. Come join us!

Career Outlook

A URI graduate certificate in Quantum Computing will position you for jobs such as application scientist, quantum computing theorist, quantum computing experimentalist or researcher.

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Get in touch.

URI Online Student Support Center
online@uri.edu
401.874.5280

Program Director
Professor Leonard M. Kahn
Chair, URI Department of Physics

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