Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemistry - Quantum Information

The program information below was valid for the fall 2021 term (September 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Admit term(s) 
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Spring
• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus
• Program type 
  • Collaborative
  • Doctoral
  • Research
• Registration option(s) 
  • Full-time
• Study option(s) 
  • Thesis

• Minimum requirements 
  • A Master of Science (MSc) degree (or equivalent) in Science with at least a minimum overall standing of 75% in the last 2 years (domestic students only).
  • Direct admission to the PhD program from a Bachelor of Science (BSc) program is also possible for outstanding students who graduated with an overall 89% standing at the undergraduate level. Course requirements are reduced by one course for students admitted directly to the PhD program from a BSc.
• Application materials 
  • Supplementary information form
  • Transcript(s)
• References 
  • Number of references:  3
  • Type of references: 

    academic

• English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Thesis option:

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)

Courses 

• Students must complete 2 one-term courses (0.50 unit weight) and the following 2 Quantum Information core courses:
  • QIC 710 Quantum Information Processing
  • QIC 750 Implementation of Quantum Information Processing
• Students entering the PhD program following completion of a Master’s degree equivalent to that offered by one of the participating academic units at the University of Waterloo must either previously have successfully completed the 2 Quantum Information core courses (QIC 710 and QIC 750), or their equivalents at another institution.
• Completion of 2 graduate courses in Quantum Information (other than QIC 710 and QIC 750) is required as part of the requirement for the PhD in Chemistry - Quantum Information at the University of Waterloo. Note in this context that any QIC course offered by the Department of Chemistry satisfies 1 of the Chemistry course requirements.
• Chemistry requires the equivalent of 2 half credit Chemistry Graduate courses (0.50 unit weight), which may be satisfied by QIC courses offered by the Department of Chemistry. Where a student does not take a QIC course offered by the Department of Chemistry, another Graduate Chemistry course(s) must be taken to meet the Chemistry course requirement.

Link(s) to courses

• Chemistry (CHEM) courses
• Quantum Information (QIC) courses

Academic Integrity Workshop

PhD Quantum Information Seminar

• Students must successfully complete a seminar milestone consisting of one seminar held at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), and one seminar on a Quantum Information (QI) topic aimed at members of the home department.

PhD Seminar

• Students must also fulfill the PhD Seminar milestone. This can be fulfilled simultaneously with the QI requirement for one seminar on a QI topic aimed at members of the home department.

PhD Comprehensive Examination

• Students are required to meet the University-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements outlined in the “Minimum requirements for the PhD degree” section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC).
• In addition to the University-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements, students in the PhD in Chemistry - Quantum Information program are also required to meet the following requirements:
  • PhD students admitted with a Master’s degree must complete the examination during their 2nd term. Students admitted directly from a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree must complete the examination during their 5th term.
  • The Examining Committee will consist of two Chemistry graduate faculty members and one member from the opposite campus (where applicable, from Guelph or Waterloo).
  • The examination will be chaired by the GWC² (Guelph-Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry and Biochemistry) Director, or designate. The supervisor will not attend the examination.
  • If the first attempt is unsuccessful, the student will be granted a 2nd attempt to take place not less than 2 and not more than 4 months from the date of the 1st attempt.

PhD Thesis

• Students must submit and defend an acceptable PhD Thesis in Quantum Information.

Other requirements 

• Direct admission from a BSc or direct transfer to the PhD program after one year of MSc study: students who are either admitted to a Master’s degree program at the University of Waterloo with an appropriate honours Bachelor’s degree and who thereafter transfer directly into the PhD program, or are directly admitted from a Bachelor’s degree, must complete the following:
  • QIC 710 Quantum Information Processing
  • QIC 750 Implementation of Quantum Information Processing
  • 1 of CHEM 745 Statistical Mechanics, CHEM 746 Quantum Chemistry, CHEM 756 Spectroscopy, CHEM 769 Physical Organic Chemistry, CHEM 713 Chemistry of Inorganic Solid Materials
  • 2 additional QIC courses
  • CHEM 794 Master's Seminar
  • PhD Seminar milestone
  • PhD Quantum Computing Seminar milestone
  • PhD Comprehensive Examination milestone
  • An original research dissertation in Quantum Information
• The Department of Chemistry requires the equivalent of 2 Chemistry graduate courses (0.50 unit weight), which may be satisfied by QIC courses offered by the Department of Chemistry. Where a student does not take a QIC course offered by the Department of Chemistry, another graduate Chemistry course(s) must be taken to meet the Chemistry course requirement. Any QIC course offered by the Department of Chemistry satisfies 1 of the Chemistry course requirements.