Master of Science in Physics (Quantum Information)
The University of Waterloo, home of the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), offers graduate students unique opportunities to learn about and engage in world-leading research in quantum information through a wide range of advanced research projects and advanced courses on the foundations, applications and implementation of quantum information processing.
In particular, the University of Waterloo offers a unique interdisciplinary graduate program in Quantum Information that leads to Master of Mathematics (MMath), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Applied Science (MASc), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. This program is a collaboration between the Institute for Quantum Computing and:
- The Departments of Applied Mathematics, Combinatorics and Optimization, and the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Mathematics
- The Departments of Chemistry and Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science
- The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering
These academic units are referred to hereinafter as the home units.
MMath, MSc, and MASc students will receive both strong and broad foundations in quantum information science, coupled with knowledge and expertise obtained within their home programs. This will prepare them for the workforce and/or further graduate studies and research leading towards a PhD degree.
PhD students will be especially well-prepared for careers as scholars and researchers, with advanced expertise in quantum information science, together with the focus of their home programs. This new program is designed to provide students with knowledge of quantum information, including both theory and its implementations, advanced expertise in quantum information science and in home program disciplines, as well as training in research.
Admission requirements are the same as those of the home programs. The home unit in which an applicant intends to pursue graduate study must approve the application. Interested students should apply directly to one of the following units via the regular university application process:
Department of Applied Mathematics
Department of Chemistry
Department of Combinatorics and Optimization
David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Information specific to the Department of Physics and Astronomy is given below.
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements are the same as those for MSc in Physics. Please refer to the Guelph-Waterloo Physics Institute website.
Degree Requirements
Academic Integrity Workshop
This is a milestone requirement for all full-time students. Part-time and Non-Degree students are NOT required to complete this workshop. This is a mandatory workshop on academic integrity and intellectual property which will be offered to all new incoming graduate students within the Faculty of Science during the first term of each Fall and Winter.
PLEASE NOTE: Students will be required to complete BOTH the Academic Integrity Module as a required course along with the Academic Integrity Workshop Milestone. The Module will appear on the student's transcript as a Course. The Workshop will appear on the student's transcript as a Milestone.
Students pursuing the MSc in Physics (Quantum Information) must choose one of the MSc options. Degree requirements are as follows:
Master's Research Option
At least Four one-term courses* acceptable for graduate credit and a thesis based on some original research in quantum information are required. The subject of research must be approved by the candidate's supervisor and the thesis must be read and approved by the supervisor and two other faculty members. A current listing of Quantum Information thesis supervisors and their home unit is available on the IQC website. Part of the research may be conducted off-campus at a collaborating laboratory. The supervisor based at that laboratory will be an associate member of (GWPI) and there will also be an on-campus co-supervisor.
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Course selection shall be such that one of the core courses have been taken by the completion of the first year of the PHYSQIM program.
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Courses currently denoted as (Physics) core courses are as follows: PHYS 701 (Quantum Mechanics 1), PHYS 703 (Introduction to Quantum Field Theory), PHYS 704 (Statistical Physics 1), PHYS 706 (Electromagnetic Theory), PHYS 767 (Introduction to Quantum Information Processing) and PHYS 781 (Fundamentals of Astrophysics).
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Courses currently denoted as Quantum Information core courses are as follows: QIC 710/(cross listed with PHYS 767) (Introduction to Quantum Information Processing) and QIC750 (Implementation of Quantum Information Processing).
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Quantum Information core courses are considered extended core courses and thus qualify as part of the Physics core requirement for students registered in the collaborative Quantum Information Physics MSc program.
For all students two of the four courses must include the Quantum Information Core courses, QIC710/PHYS767 (Quantum Information Processing) and QIC750 (Implementation of Quantum Information Processing). One of the four courses may be an upper level undergraduate course. The supervisor must submit a memo justifying why the undergraduate course is acceptable for graduate credit, and approval must be received from the Physics and Astronomy Graduate Officer and the Associate Dean of Science for Graduate Studies prior to enrolment in the course. An acceptable thesis on a quantum information research topic must be submitted. Detailed specifications of the format of the thesis are available from the appropriate Graduate Office. Acceptance of the thesis requires the approval by an Examining Committee following an oral defence of the thesis.
A student in the physics graduate program as a Master's candidate, who shows a particular aptitude for research, may be permitted under certain circumstances to transfer to the PhD program without writing an MSc thesis. (See the Graduate Secretary for complete details)
Course Requirements
An average of at least 70% must be obtained in the required courses. A minimum grade of 65% is required for a pass in each course. No more than two courses, of the first four taken, can have averages of less than 70%. If a student does not meet these minimum grade requirements, or receives a failing grade in any course, he/she may be required to withdraw from the program.
Supervisory Committee Meeting
It is required that the student meet formally with his/her Supervisory Committee within the first six months of registration (within first four months in the case of students doing the coursework option) and subsequently at least once every six months. While one meeting in a year must be a formal one, the other meeting may be held informally; in the latter case, apart from the student and the supervisor, the meeting must involve at least one other member of the Committee.
* A one-term course is defined as a graduate course of three lecture hours per week for one term with unit weight 0.5. Other graduate courses with two lecture hours per week for two terms, and certain undergraduate courses, are classed as equivalent to one-term courses. All programs must be approved by the Physics Graduate Studies Committee.
An updated list of Quantum Information courses is available on the IQC website.
For more information, please contact:
Kiley Rider
Guelph Waterloo Physics Institute
University of Waterloo
E-mail: gwp@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
Phone: 519-888-4567 x37598
or
Monica Dey
Institute for Quantum Computing
University of Waterloo
E-mail: mdey@iqc.ca
Phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 38702