best quantum physics phd programs

12 Top Quantum Computing Universities in 2024

• Exclusives , Research

Matt Swayne

• April 18, 2022

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In just a few years, quantum computing and quantum information theory has gone from a fringe subject offered in small classes at odd hours in the corner of the physics building annex to a full complement of classes in well-funded graduate programs being held at leading quantum computing universities.

The question now for many would-be quantum computer students is not, “Are there universities that even offer quantum computing programs” but, rather, “Which of them are leaders at quantum computing research.”

12 Best Quantum Computing Universities

1. the institute for quantum computing — university of waterloo.

The University of Waterloo can proudly declare that, while many colleges avoided offering quantum computing degree programs like cat adoption agencies avoided adoption applications from the Schrodinger family, this Canadian university went all in. And it paid off. Mike Lazaridis, creator of the BlackBerry, funded the university in 2002. He also supported the founding of  Waterloo’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, one of the premier quantum science research universities. The quantum computing powerhouse employs about 296 researchers and has published more than 1,500 research papers since its founding. One of the strengths of this school for Quantum Computing is how it combines excellence in academic research with an entrepreneurial drive to commercialize the technology. You can also check out the video to learn more about this quantum computing university.

2. University of Oxford

The University of Oxford has a long history as a quantum computing university. The university’s own David Deutsch first described exactly what a universal quantum computer is way back in 1985. The first working pure state NMR quantum computer was demonstrated at Oxford and University of York. And the university is still position among the top leaders in quantum science. According to the university, they’re in quantum research because of its vast potential. “Quantum computing has the potential to transform areas of our lives such as healthcare, finance and security – and Oxford is pioneering theory, technology and responsible innovation to ensure that its power will bring benefits for all of society.”

3. Harvard University — Harvard Quantum Initiative

Harvard says the Harvard Quantum Initiative in Science and Engineering (HQI) is “a community of researchers with an intense interest in advancing the science and engineering of quantum computers and their applications. Our mission is to help scientists and engineers explore new ways to transform quantum theory into useful systems and devices.” The group said this “second quantum revolution” will build on the first one that created technologies like GPS navigation, global communication, and medical breakthroughs such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — and HQI members are preparing for this revolution.

4. MIT — Center for Theoretical Physics

MIT is a research behemoth. It’s reach now extends deeply into quantum computing and quantum information. The university’s strength in theoretical physics is now leveraged into what they term, quantum information and quantum computing, or QI/QC. Besides building a quantum computer, MIT researchers explore Quantum algorithms and complexity, Quantum information theory, measurement and control and applications and connections. That being said it is not a surprise that MIT stands as one of the top quantum computing universities.

5. National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University — Centre for Quantum Technologies

The Center for Quantum Technologies of Singapore was founded to bring together physicists, computer scientists and engineers to do basic research on quantum physics and to build devices based on quantum phenomena. They positioned themselves among the pioneer quantum computing universities. Experts in this new discipline of quantum technologies are applying their discoveries in computing, communications, and sensing.

6. University of California Berkeley

The Berkeley Center for Quantum Information and Computation includes researchers from the colleges of Chemistry, Engineering and Physical Sciences to work on fundamental issues in quantum algorithms, quantum cryptography, quantum information theory, quantum control and the experimental realization of quantum computers and quantum devices.

7. University of Maryland — Joint Quantum Institute

The Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) leads quantum scientists from the Department of Physics of the University of Maryland (UMD), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS). Each institution brings major experimental and theoretical research programs that are dedicated to the goals of controlling and exploiting quantum systems, on the level of the world’s top quantum computing universities.

8. University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) – Division of Quantum Physics and Quantum Information

This division of quantum physics and quantum information specializes in the field of quantum optics and quantum information. The division lists its main directions as quantum foundation, fiber-based quantum communication, free-space quantum communication, quantum memory and quantum repeater, optical quantum computing, superconducting quantum computing, quantum simulation with ultra-cold atoms, quantum metrology and related theories. Researchers have also built advanced experimental platforms to conduct cutting-edge research.

9. University of Chicago — Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE)

The Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) is a hub of researchers who are interested in advancing academic and industrial efforts in the science and engineering of quantum information. They encouraged the words best quantum computing universities to promote the exploration of quantum information technologies and the development of new applications. The CQE facilitates interactions between research groups of its member and partner institutions and provides an avenue for developing and fostering collaborations, joint projects, and information exchange. Members of CQE are focused on developing new ways of understanding and exploiting the laws of quantum mechanics, the fundamental yet counterintuitive theory that governs nature at its smallest scales. The overarching aim is to apply research innovations to develop radically new types of devices, materials, and computing techniques. 

10. University of Sydney — Australia

The University of Sydney focuses its quantum science group on addressing the most challenging problems of quantum physics and leveraging these insights to build new technologies. Activities range from fundamental physics and quantum information science through to technology development and incorporate both atomic and condensed matter systems. The scientific pursuits are complemented by deep industry engagement and entrepreneurial activities.

11. Quantum Applications and Research Laboratory at LMU Munich (QAR-Lab)

Preparing students for a future with Quantum Technology is critical for QAR-Lab . The lab expects quantum computing (QC) to perform complex operations that would now have been possible before and will find solutions to traditional problems in shorter times. The Munich-based team of researchers plan to take advantage of the endless possibilities of QC to solve concrete practical problems, from route planning to machine learning, by programming a quantum computer.

12. University of Innsbruck – Quantum Information & Computation

Researchers at the University of Innsbruck’s Quantum Information and Computation department study models for quantum information processing and fundamental aspects of quantum information theory. The focus of their research is the theory of measurement-based quantum computation , which has resulted in a new and more thorough understanding of many-body entanglement as resource, and applications in quantum communication, quantum error correction, and quantum algorithms. As one of the most prominent quantum computing universities, their researchers work on quantum phenomena in bio-molecular systems, relativistic systems, and study the role of quantum mechanics for autonomous and adaptive systems.

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TQI Summary

We came to the end of our journey through quantum computing universities. To sum it up, Quantum computing institutes and unis are gaining much more attention in the quantum computing world, as more and more young prospects are seeking knowledge in this area. Finally, we think that before mentioned universities can provide them with everything they want.

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Princeton Quantum Initiative

Quantum Science and Engineering PhD Program

PQI launched a new PhD program in Quantum Science and Engineering, with the first cohort starting in fall 2024.

Find full information about the program structure and requirements  from Princeton Graduate School. The application for the program can be found through the Graduate School portal .

The PhD program in Quantum Science and Engineering provides graduate training in a new discipline at the intersection of quantum physics and information theory. Just as the 20th century witnessed a technological and scientific revolution ushered in by our newfound understanding of quantum mechanics, the 21st century now offers the promise of a new class of technologies and lines of scientific inquiry that take full advantage of the more fragile and intricate consequences of quantum mechanics: coherent superposition, projective measurement, and entanglement. This field has broad implications ranging from many-body physics and the creation of new forms of matter to our understanding of the emergence of the classical world and our basic understanding of space and time.  It enables fundamentally new technological applications, including new types of computers that can solve currently intractable problems, communication channels whose security is guaranteed by the laws of physics, and sensors that offer unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution.

The Princeton Quantum Science and Engineering community is unique in its interdisciplinary breadth combined with foundational research in quantum information and quantum matter. Research at Princeton comprises every layer of the quantum technology stack, bringing together many body physics, materials, devices, new quantum hardware platforms, quantum information theory, metrology, algorithms, complexity theory, and computer architecture. This vibrant environment allows for rapid progress at the frontiers of quantum science and technology, with cross pollination among quantum platforms and approaches. The research community strongly values interdisciplinarity, collaboration, depth, and fostering a close-knit community that enables fundamental and impactful advances.

Our curriculum places students in an excellent position to build new quantum systems, discover new technological innovations, become leaders in the emergent quantum industry, and make deep, lasting contributions to quantum information science. The QSE graduate program aims to provide a strong foundation of fundamentals through a three-course core, as well as opportunities to explore the frontiers of current research through electives. First year students are also required to take a seminar course that is associated with the Princeton Quantum Colloquium, in which they closely read the associated literature and discuss the papers. Our curriculum has a unique emphasis on learning how to read and understand current literature over a large range of topics. The curriculum is complemented by many opportunities at PQI for scientific interaction and professional development. A major goal of the program is to help form a tight-knit graduate student cohort that spans disciplines and research topics, united by a common language. 

Most students enter the program with an undergraduate degree in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, chemistry, materials science, or a related discipline. When you apply, you should indicate what broad research areas you are interested in: Quantum Systems Experiment, Quantum Systems Theory, Quantum Materials Science, or Quantum Computer Science.

Graduate School

Quantum Science and Engineering

General information, program offerings:, affiliated departments:, director of graduate studies:, graduate program administrator:.

The program in Quantum Science and Engineering provides graduate training in a new discipline at the intersection of quantum physics and information theory. Just as the 20th century witnessed a technological and scientific revolution ushered in by our newfound understanding of quantum mechanics, the 21st century now offers the promise of a new class of technologies and lines of inquiry that take full advantage of the more fragile and intricate consequences of quantum mechanics: coherent superposition, projective measurement, and entanglement. This field has broad implications, from many body physics, the creation of new forms of matter, and our understanding of the emergence of the classical world, to fundamentally new technological applications ranging from new types of computers that can solve currently intractable problems, communication channels whose security is guaranteed by the laws of physics, and sensors that offer unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution.

The Princeton Quantum Science and Engineering community is unique in its interdisciplinary breadth combined with foundational research in quantum information and quantum matter. Research at Princeton comprises every layer of the quantum technology stack, in fields ranging from quantum many body physics, materials, devices, and devising new quantum hardware platforms to quantum information theory, quantum metrology, quantum algorithms and complexity theory, and quantum computer architecture. This vibrant environment allows for rapid progress at the frontiers of quantum science and technology, with cross pollination among quantum platforms and approaches. Our curriculum places students in an excellent position to build new quantum systems, discover new technological innovations, become leaders in the emergent quantum industry, and make deep, lasting contributions to quantum information science.

Additional departmental requirements

Applicants are required to select an area of research interest when applying.

Program Offerings

Program offering: ph.d., program description.

The doctoral program combines coursework and participation in original research. Most students enter the program with an undergraduate degree in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, chemistry, materials science, or a related discipline. Every admitted Ph.D. student is given financial support in the form of a first-year fellowship. Students in academic good standing are supported by a teaching assistant or research assistant after the first year. Students who remain on campus working with their adviser during the summer will receive summer salary.

The curriculum consists of five required, graded courses to be completed by the end of the second year with an average GPA of 3.3, including: - Three core courses: Quantum Mechanics (PHY 506, ECE 511, CHM 501/502), Quantum Information (ECE 569), Implementations of Quantum Science (ECE 568) - Two quantum science courses: Experimental Methods in Quantum Computing (ECE 457), Solid State Physics (ECE 441), Condensed Matter Physics (PHY 525/526), Atomic Physics (PHY 551), Quantum optics (ECE 456), Fundamentals of Nanophotonics (ECE 560), Solid State Chemistry (CHM 529), Electronic Structure of Solids (CHM 524), Quantum Optoelectronics (ECE 453), Quantum Materials Spectroscopy (ECE 547), Solid State Physics II (ECE 542), Physics and Technology of Low-dimensional Electronic Structures (ECE544), Fundamentals of Quantum Materials and Their Applications (MSE 518/CHM 518)

Additional pre-generals requirements

Each incoming student is assigned an academic adviser to help with course selection and other educational issues. First year students are required to enroll in a fall seminar class (ungraded) in which QSE faculty present their research. By the end of the first year, each student must secure placement with a research advisor.

First year students are also required to enroll in a seminar course for both semesters (QSE 501), in which they attend the weekly Quantum Colloquium series (which meets on Mondays), read relevant papers, and then discuss the papers and colloquium later in the week. Colloquium attendance will be mandatory and verified by a sign-in sheet. The course will be graded on a P/NP basis, and students will be evaluated based on their attendance and participation in discussion. The instructor running the course for the semester assigns a few papers that are relevant to that week’s colloquium, together with a reading guide that comprises a few questions about each paper. The students are responsible for reading the papers carefully, understanding them in the context of that week’s colloquium, and participating actively in the class discussion.  Students must also complete a course in Responsible Conduct of Research by the end of their second year.

General exam

Students must successfully complete their general exam by the end of their second year. The general exam consists of a research seminar and an oral exam, with a committee of three faculty (including the research advisor). The seminar is typically a 45 minute presentation of research accomplished at Princeton, with questions from the committee about the research. The oral exam is administered by the committee, and is intended to probe the student’s engagement with independent research, as well as their general knowledge in the field.

Qualifying for the M.A.

The Master of Arts can be earned by Ph.D. students en route to their Ph.D., after the student has: (a) completed the required coursework, (b) presented a research seminar approved by the student’s general examination committee, and (c) passed the oral general examination. It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met.

Teaching experience is considered to be a significant part of a graduate education. Prior to completion of the program, doctoral students must complete at least one semester as a half-assistant instructor (AI), 3 hours per week. To be an AI, a student must first demonstrate proficiency in English by passing or being exempted from the Princeton Oral Proficiency Test (POPT). Students are encouraged to satisfy the POPT requirement as early as possible.

Dissertation and FPO

The final public oral examination is taken after the candidate’s dissertation has been examined for technical mastery by a committee of three faculty including the research advisor and approved by the Graduate School; it is primarily a defense of the dissertation. The Ph.D. is awarded after the candidate’s doctoral dissertation has been accepted and the final public oral examination sustained.

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

ECE 568 - Implementations of Quantum Information (also QSE 503)

Qse 501 - current topics in quantum science and engineering.

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University News | 4.26.2021

Harvard to Launch Quantum Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program

Renovation of 60 oxford street will create a quantum hub where theorists and engineers work side by side..

After renovation, 60 Oxford Street will become the hub for quantum science and engineering at Harvard. Photograph by Kristina DeMichele/Harvard Magazine. 

Harvard will launch a Ph.D. program in quantum science and engineering, one of the first in the world, the University announced today. The program has been designed to train the next generation of leaders and innovators in a domain of physics already having transformative effects on electrical engineering and computer science, biology and chemistry—and poised to transform other fields, too, as researchers demonstrate increasing capability to harness and control quantum effects that defy explanations based on the principles of classical physics alone. Simultaneously, the University revealed that it plans a major renovation of 60 Oxford Street in order to house key portions of its ambitious quantum program. The transformation of that 94,000 gross-square-foot building, constructed in 2007, into a quantum-science and engineering hub is made possible by what the University described in a statement as “generous support from Stacey L. and David E. Goel ’93 and several other alumni.”  

“Existing technologies,” said David Goel in the statement, “are reaching the limit of their capacity and cannot drive the innovation we need for the future, specifically in areas like semiconductors and the life sciences.” The co-founder and managing general partner of Matrix Capital Management Company, LP (a hedge fund based in Waltham, Massachusetts), called quantum science “an enabler, providing a multiplier effect…a catalyst that drives scientific revolutions and epoch-making paradigm shifts.” (The Goels  previously made a $100-million gift to catalyze the University’s formation of a performing-arts venue  in Allston that will include the relocated American Repertory Theater.) 

The new doctoral degree builds on the 2018 launch of the Harvard Quantum Initiative,  co-led  by Silsbee professor of physics John Doyle, Tarr-Coyne professor of applied physics and of electrical engineering Evelyn Hu, and Leverett professor of physics Mikhail Lukin. Its program of study will draw on existing courses in quantum science—which encompasses physics at the scale of atoms and sub-atomic particles, or that is linked to the discrete energy states (quanta) associated with these objects—as well as courses in materials science, photonics, computer science, chemistry, and related fields. The aim is to provide, within a community of scholars and engineers, a foundational core curriculum that Hu said will dramatically reduce “the time to basic quantum proficiency for a community of students who will be the future innovators, researchers, and educators in quantum science and engineering.” The  program is expected to admit its first cohort of Ph.D. candidates —about six students—in the fall of 2022; eventually, it will enroll 35 to 40 candidates. They will learn how to build quantum materials, including quantum bits (“qubits”) that perform switching functions analogous to those found in classical computers; how to stabilize and extend the life of quantum states; and how to design quantum information networks, among other skills. 

The Ph.D. program

Quantum science and engineering is “a brand new field in many ways,” explained Hu, the faculty co-director, with Doyle, of the new doctoral program. Although Harvard and other institutions have invested in the study of quantum physics for decades, “This particular moment is timely”—and unusual, she said in an interview: even though “there’s still a tremendous amount of basic science to explore, and fundamental scientific questions and challenges,…companies are seizing the opportunity to go forward with commercial products.” Industry has recognized that quantum behaviors can be harnessed for practical use, even without an understanding of precisely why they exist. The entanglement of particles is one example, because it enables unbreakable quantum cryptography over quantum communication networks. Entangled photons and electrons are particles that have become linked, so that the state of one, when queried, is instantaneously “communicated” to the other, no matter where or how far away in the universe that entangled counterpart might be. Thus, if someone tried to steal data encoded using a quantum key by probing one of the particles, the other particle would immediately reveal the interference.

Currently, there simply aren’t enough graduates with expertise in quantum engineering to satisfy corporate demand. To fill that gap and advance basic science research in the field, the new doctoral program, said Hu, will provide an integrated approach that builds on quantum behaviors in “not just physics, not just chemistry, electrical engineering, computer science, applied math, and mechanical engineering, but a whole host of other disciplines. That is what motivates the Ph.D. program that we just launched.”

Christopher Stubbs, science division dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Moncher professor of physics and of astronomy, called Harvard’s investment in the field—at a time when University budgets are constrained, and hiring of new faculty has been limited in many other areas—“significant.” Beyond the renovation of 60 Oxford Street, several searches for new faculty members are already under way, in hopes of recruiting as many as 10 during the next decade to join an already active group of researchers and educators in the field. Several current faculty members have made notable contributions within the quantum domain in the past year alone, including assistant professor of physics Julia Mundy (the recipient of a $875,000 Packard Award to pursue her research in novel quantum materials during the next five years); professor of physics in residence Susanne Yelin (named a fellow of the Optical Society for “pioneering theoretical work in quantum optics”); and Kahn associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology and of physics Kang-Kuen Ni. (In 2018, Ni joined atoms of sodium and cesium, which normally don’t react with each other, into a single molecule that lasted for an instant. This year, her lab members were able to extend the life of that dipolar molecule to three and half seconds—more than enough time to make it useful in quantum applications.)

Numerous existing centers throughout the University will add depth in both quantum science and engineering in a variety of specific research areas. The  Center for Integrated Quantum Materials , for example, is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center for studying quantum materials with unconventional properties; the  Center for Nanoscale Systems  is focused on  the science of small things , and their integration into larger systems; the  Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for Quantum Optics  is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Harvard’s physics department that conducts research and education in a broad range of quantum sciences including metrology (measurement) and quantum-based information science. And the Center for Ultracold Atoms is a joint NSF Physics Frontier Center run together with MIT, with which Harvard has a longstanding collaboration in quantum-science investigations. John Doyle adds that he and his colleagues want to expand on this constellation of domain expertise by establishing a center for quantum theory in the new building, to which they can invite colleagues from around the world. At the practical, hands-on end of the spectrum, the building will also feature an instructional lab where undergraduate and graduate students will have an opportunity to work with quantum systems. Common areas in the building, he added, will provide natural opportunities “for theorists and experimentalists to connect.”

“An incredible foundation has been laid in quantum and we are now at an inflection point to accelerate that activity,” summed up Frank Doyle, dean of the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Armstrong professor of engineering and applied sciences (and no relation to John Doyle). Collaborations, he emphasized, will play an important role in that acceleration. To speed the translation of applied research into industrial products, Dean Doyle described a vision for “integrated partnerships where we invite partners from the private sector to be embedded on the campus to learn from the researchers in our labs, and where our faculty connect to the private sector and national labs” that have been affiliated with five quantum-information science research centers funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The broad aim, he said, is to learn about “cutting-edge applications, as well as help translate…basic research into useful tools for society.”

Even though engineering using quantum behaviors can advance ahead of basic scientific understanding in some cases, as Evelyn Hu pointed out, predicting the behavior of quantum systems will require quantum computational abilities. A key applied-research area that will advance both the basic science and the engineering involves quantum simulation, a precursor to broadly useful quantum computation. Quantum simulators can be used to describe and potentially predict the behavior of quantum systems and materials. For example, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) is now being used at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to identify small molecules in living subjects. To identify the molecules, NMR relies on a quantum probabilistic process. Interpreting the results with traditional computers would take days, but pairing a classical computer with a quantum simulator—a special-purpose computer which itself operates on quantum probabilistic principles—can identify the molecules in minutes.  

In another example, quantum-materials engineers use one-atom-thick sheets of crystalline materials like graphene that have perfect symmetry (and no dangling bonds) to create new structures for controlling the behavior of electrons. When two sheets of this atomically identical material are placed atop one another, and one layer is then rotated slightly, a moiré pattern is created that contains areas of high and low energy—a kind of landscape of mountains and valleys with extraordinary tunable properties. Electrons trapped between the sheets congregate in the low-energy valleys, according to the bilayer material’s changing optical and electrical properties (which depend on the angle of rotation). But predicting exactly  what  those properties will be, so that they can be used for quantum-based electronics, is beyond the capability of classic computers, even those deploying artificial intelligence and advanced deep learning techniques.

Past successes in quantum-materials design, such as the  extraordinary development of the quantum cascade laser by Wallace professor of applied physics Federico Capasso , were based on the behavior of  single  particles. Now investigators hope to exploit the vastly greater intricacy of polyatomic molecules, with three or more atoms, to make materials and devices with complex properties unexplainable using classical models of physics. The University’s deepening research and development capacity in this transformative field, in collaboration with other institutions, national laboratories, and industry, appears poised to provide both solid and compelling training for prospective scholars.

Candidates interested in the new Ph.D. in quantum science and engineering can learn more about the program philosophy, curriculum, and requirements  here.

  Read the University announcement here. 

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Quantum Science & Engineering

Join the quantum revolution at Harvard.

We are witnessing the birth of Quantum Science & Engineering, an event no less significant than the advent of the physics and engineering of electronics at the beginning of the last century. This new discipline demands new approaches to educating the rising generations of researchers who will require deep knowledge of science and engineering principles.

The quantum world of very small things has only recently been amenable to full control and this, in turn, has led to an explosion in potential applications, from new approaches to computation and communication, to more rapid drug discovery, and new sensors with unprecedented precision and resolution. We are at the frontier of the development of fully engineered quantum systems, starting from physical phenomena exhibited by quantum materials, integrating devices and systems subject to quantum architectures, and transforming the way in which we acquire, communicate, and process information.

Harvard University plays a leading role in the development of Quantum Science & Engineering. We invite you to learn more about our PhD program .

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Princeton University

Princeton introduces a ph.d. program at intersection of quantum physics and information theory.

November 13, 2023

Princeton University has launched a new Ph.D. program in Quantum Science and Engineering , providing graduate training in an emerging discipline at the intersection of quantum physics and information theory.

This new field of quantum information science may enable fundamentally new technology, including new types of computers that can solve currently intractable problems, communication channels guaranteed secure by the laws of physics, and sensors that offer unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution.

Applications from prospective students are due December 15 for an incoming first class in Fall 2024. 

The new doctoral program is part of Princeton’s expanded commitment to quantum science and engineering research and education. The University’s growing programs, along with the ongoing recruitment of top faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, reflect the University’s recognition of the transformative potential of quantum science and technology to benefit society in the decades ahead.

According to Andrew Houck, professor of electrical and computer engineering and co-director of the Princeton Q uantum I nitiative , Princeton is “ramping up efforts across campus to remain the leading place in the world for this kind of science and engineering for many decades.”  Ali Yazdani, the Class of 1909 Professor of Physics and co-director alongside Houck, adds that Princeton’s work in this area stands apart from quantum research at other institutions due to the University’s inclusive approach across disciplines and across the spectrum from foundational science to innovative devices. 

 “A major goal of the program is to form a graduate student community spanning disciplines and research topics, and united by a common scientific language,” according to Nathalie de Leon, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and the director of graduate studies for quantum science and engineering. “Our curriculum will place students in an excellent position to build new quantum systems, discover new technological innovations, become leaders in the emergent quantum industry, and make deep, lasting contributions to quantum information science.”

De Leon says the new quantum science and engineering doctoral program is structured to take advantage of the unique interdisciplinary breadth of Princeton’s quantum community. “Research at Princeton encompasses every layer of the quantum technology stack, bringing together many-body physics, materials, devices, new quantum hardware platforms, quantum information theory, metrology, algorithms, complexity theory, and computer architecture,” explains de Leon. “This vibrant environment allows for rapid progress at the frontiers of quantum science and technology, with cross-pollination among quantum platforms and approaches.”

The initiative also benefits from a growing number of collaborations with scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory managed by Princeton; the collaborative work includes designing highly specialized materials such as diamonds and superconducting magnets needed for quantum experiments and technologies.

De Leon adds, “The quantum faculty at Princeton value interdisciplinarity, collaboration, depth, and fostering a close-knit community that enables fundamental and significant advances.”

The new doctoral program will provide students with a strong foundation of fundamentals, as well as opportunities to explore the frontiers of current research, instruction on reading and understanding literature over an extensive range of topics, and many opportunities for scientific interaction and professional development. 

Princeton University’s stipend for graduate students is among the highest in the nation. The University fully funds all Ph.D. students, offering generous tailored support across all years of regular program enrollment. The graduate student experience at Princeton encompasses campus housing, a health plan and benefits, family care assistance, and a wide range of student life programs and traditions that welcome all to participate in the diverse and inclusive Graduate School community.

Prospective students are encouraged to review the degree program requirements and indicate on the application their interest in the broad research areas of quantum systems experiment, quantum systems theory, quantum material science, or quantum computer science. 

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Quantum at the University of Chicago

Quantum science and engineering.

The University of Chicago has assembled a world-class group of scientists and engineers who are leading the quantum revolution. In addition to our cutting-edge faculty in physics, engineering, and chemistry, we offer one of the nation's first doctoral programs in quantum science and engineering.

• 20+ lab groups at PME and UChicago engaged in quantum research
• Chicago region named an official U.S. Regional and Innovation Technology Hub for quantum technologies
• Close partnerships with National QIS Research Centers at Argonne and Fermilab

Learn about our many exciting programs and centers

Noah Glachman

Bernien Lab

“Quantum computing has the potential to solve some of the world's biggest problems. I'm proud to be a part of a team here making that happen.”

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“PME brings these diverse fields together and has this very collaborative environment that I really appreciate.”

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Awschalom Lab (co-advised by Hannes Bernien)

“Study something that you find interesting and I guarantee we can use you here.”

We are training students to become the next generation of leaders in science, engineering, and beyond. ” Dean Nadya Mason

Why Engineering at the University of Chicago?

• 100% of PhD students start research in their first year
• PME’s leading faculty experts unite eight scientific and engineering disciplines through an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum
• Students work with 40+ internationally recognized faculty members and 20+ researchers from Argonne National Laboratory
• More than 200 PME graduates have entered roles as data scientists, engineers, and research consultants, or continued their research at academic institutions.

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Launch of pioneering ph.d. program bolsters harvard’s leadership in quantum science and engineering.

Field expected to usher in era of super-fast computing and innovation across a range of fields

Leah Burrows

SEAS Communications

Researchers used atomic-size defects in diamonds to detect and measure magnetic fields generated by spin waves.

Images courtesy of Second Bay Studios/Harvard SEAS

In the middle of the 20th century, mathematicians, physicists, and engineers at Harvard began work that would lay the foundations for a new field of study, the applications of which would change the world in ways unimaginable at the time. These pioneering computer scientists helped develop the theory and technology that would usher in the digital age.

Harvard is once again taking a leading role in a scientific and technological revolution — this time in the field of quantum science and engineering. Today, the University launched one of the world’s first Ph.D. programs in the subject, providing the foundational education for the next generation of innovators and leaders who will transform quantum science and engineering into next-level systems, devices, and applications.

The new degree is the latest step in the University’s commitment to moving forward as both a leader in research and an innovator in teaching in the field of quantum science and engineering. Harvard launched the Harvard Quantum Initiative in 2018 to foster and grow this new scientific community. And additional future plans call for the creation of a quantum hub on campus to help further integrate efforts and encourage collaboration.

“This is a pivotal time for quantum science and engineering at Harvard,” said President Larry Bacow. “With institutional collaborators including MIT and industry partners, and the support of generous donors, we are making extraordinary progress in discovery and innovation. Our faculty and students are driving progress that will reshape our world through quantum computing, networking, cryptography, materials, and sensing, as well as emerging areas of promise that will yield advances none of us can yet imagine.”

“This cross disciplinary Ph.D. program will prepare our students to become the leaders and innovators in the emerging field of quantum science and engineering,” said Emma Dench, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “Harvard’s interdisciplinary strength and intellectual resources make it the perfect place for them to develop their ideas, grow as scholars, and make discoveries that will change the world.”

At the nexus of physics, chemistry, computer science, and electrical engineering, quantum science and technology promises to profoundly change the way we acquire, process, and communicate information. Imagine a computer that could sequence a person’s genome in a matter of seconds or an un-hackable communications system that could make data breaches a thing of the past. Quantum technology will usher in game-changing innovations in health care, infrastructure, security, drug development, climate-change prediction, machine learning, financial services, and more.

Researchers excited and detected spin waves in a quantum Hall ferromagnet, spending them through the insulating material like waves in a pond.

The University is building partnerships with government agencies and national laboratories to advance quantum technologies and educate the next generation of quantum scientists. Harvard researchers will play a major role in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers, aimed at bolstering the nation’s global competitiveness and security. As part of the centers, Harvard researchers will:

• develop and study the next generation of quantum materials that are resilient, controllable, and scalable;
• use quantum-sensing techniques to explore the exotic properties of quantum materials for applications in numerous quantum technologies;
• construct a quantum simulator out of ultra-cold molecules to attack important problems in materials development and test the performance of new types of quantum computation;
• develop topological quantum materials for manipulating, transferring, and storing information for quantum computers and sensors;
• investigate how quantum computers can meaningfully speed up answers to real-world scientific problems and create new tools to quantify this advantage and performance.

In partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Harvard University Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) has helped develop curriculum and educator activities that will help K‒12 students engage with quantum information science. CIQM is also collaborating with the Learning Center for the Deaf to create quantum science terms in American Sign Language .

“Breakthrough research happens when you create the right community of scholars around the right ideas at the right time,” said Claudine Gay, the Edgerley Family Dean of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “The Harvard Quantum Initiative builds on Harvard’s historic strength in the core disciplines of quantum science by drawing together cross-cutting faculty talent into a community committed to thinking broadly and boldly about the many problems where quantum innovations may offer a solution. This new approach to quantum science will open the way for new partnerships to advance the field, but perhaps even more importantly, it promises to make Harvard the training ground for the next generation of breakthrough scientists who could change the way we live and work.”

“Harvard’s missions are to excel at education and research, and these are closely related,” said John Doyle, the Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics and co-director of HQI. “Being at — and sometimes defining — the frontier of research keeps our education vibrant and meaningful to students. We aim to teach a broad range of students to think about the physical world in this new, quantum way as this is crucial to creating a strong community of future leaders in science and engineering. Tight focus on both research and teaching in quantum will develop Harvard into the leading institution in this area and keep the country at the forefront of this critical area of knowledge.”

Quantum at Harvard: ‘A game-changing’ moment

A conversation with SEAS Dean Frank Doyle, John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Science Division Dean Christopher Stubbs, Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and of Astronomy.

Transcript:

Doyle: We’re at a game changing point in science and technology. We’re poised to enable translation breakthroughs in our applications of that understanding to broadly stated information science, so networking, signal processing, encryption, communications, computing and simulation.

Stubbs: What we’re talking about, looking to the future, exploits the really spooky parts of quantum mechanics, about the relationship of information in spatially separated systems and trying to harness that technologically and bringing it to bear on problems in networking, computing, and sensing systems.

I think we’re learning more about the way the world works every day, and we’re interested here at Harvard in knitting that understanding together across different traditionally separated fields and pulling together an integrated effort that pulls together, computer science, electrical engineering, physics systems engineering, and tries to use these to build new tools to make life better for everybody.

Doyle: Chris, I completely agree, and I would say that one thing, I recognize deeply as the dean on the engineering side is that foundations are critical to achieving success in the domain of innovation or translation, whatever the application space might be. We have to have that core body of knowledge supporting and enabling really a continuum from basic science through applied science, ultimately to engineering. I would also point to the fact that we are modestly scaled compared to some of our peers, which I think empowers us with agility and nimbleness that allows us to quickly assemble the teams that cross the spectrum of these disciplines that we need to harness, and that’s a real strength here at Harvard as well.

Stubbs: I would say we’re making significant institutional investments in this enterprise. We’ve identified a building, working in partnership across the university, that’s going to be put to use for this activity, with new labs, new teaching labs. We will fill that space with colleagues that we intend to bring to campus to strengthen our faculty in this domain. We’re building a strong and vibrant educational program. And I think an important element to include here is that we see this as a way to reach all the way into applications at scale, and we’re building partnerships with industrial partners, ranging from startups-sized companies to major national corporations that are going to have the ability to bring these ideas to bear at scale and impact people’s lives in a positive way.

Doyle: I would say that this opportunity has tremendous potential across a wide array of fields and applications, from more traditional engineering fields like communications, cybersecurity, network science, but across an even broader array of fields including finance (thinking about the new kinds of algorithms that are going to power the future of things like trading and stress testing the market); precision medicine; the quantum principles that we’re going to be able to leverage in devices that will now interrogate at unprecedented scale — spatial and temporal — to bring information back that we can act upon. So it’s virtually a limitless horizon of application opportunities out there.

Stubbs: We’re fortunate in the Boston area to have another university down the road, whose initials are MIT, with which, in particular in this technical domain, we have strong existing partnerships among the faculty. We view this as moving forward arm-in-arm with sister institutions in this region to establish Boston as one of the premier centers in the nation for both innovation, education, and application of this new technology.

Doyle: Our faculties partnering across Harvard and MIT have been doing this for literally decades. So there’s an incredible organic foundation that has been laid in the Greater Cambridge, Greater Boston space that we’re now turning an inflection point to accelerate that activity.

The field of quantum really opens up some exciting partnership opportunities, which we’re exploring with great passion. The notion that the continuum from the university and basic research and applied research, through to getting products in the market, through getting operational networks, operational systems is one that truly is a continuum. So there has to be integrated partnerships, where we invite partners in the private sector in to be embedded on the campus to learn from the researchers in our labs, where we embed our faculty out in the private sector in national labs to learn about the cutting edge applications that need to drive and fuel the research taking place back on the campus. So I really view this as a wonderful new opportunity to rethink the nature of how the private sector and the academy partner to enable the ultimate translation into products, technologies that are going to benefit mankind.

Edited for length.

The University’s location within the Greater Boston ecosystem of innovation and discovery is one of its greatest strengths.

A recent collaboration between Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and University quantum physicists resulted in a proof-of-concept algorithm to dramatically speed up the analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NNMR) readings to identify biomarkers of specific diseases and disorders, reducing the process from days to just minutes.

A multidisciplinary team of electrical engineers and physicists from Harvard and MIT are building the infrastructure for tomorrow’s quantum internet , including quantum repeaters, quantum memory storage, and quantum networking nodes, and developing the key technologies to connect quantum processors over local and global scales.

“We are moving forward arm in arm with sister institutions in this region, most notably MIT, to establish Boston as one of the premier centers in the nation for both education and developing technologies that we anticipate will have significant impact on society,” said Christopher Stubbs, science division dean and Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and of Astronomy.

  “We are excited to see the ever-growing opportunities for collaboration in quantum science and engineering at Harvard, in the Boston community, and beyond,” said Evelyn L. Hu, the Tarr-Coyne Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Science at SEAS and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative. “Harvard is committed to sustaining that growth and fostering a strong community of students, faculty, and inventors, both locally and nationwide.”

Fiber-optical networks, the backbone of the internet, rely on high-fidelity information conversion from electrical to the optical domain. The researchers combined the best optical material with innovative nanofabrication and design approaches, to realize, energy-efficient, high-speed, low-loss, electro-optic converters for quantum and classical communications.

“Building a vibrant community and ecosystem is essential for bringing the benefits of quantum research to different fields of science and society,” said Mikhail Lukin, George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics and co-director of HQI. “Quantum at Harvard aims to integrate unique strengths of university research groups, government labs, established companies, and startups to not only advance foundational quantum science and engineering but also to build and to enable broad access to practical quantum systems.”

To facilitate those collaborations, the University is finalizing plans for the comprehensive renovation of an existing campus building into a new quantum hub — a shared resource for the quantum community with instructional and research labs, seminar and workshop spaces, meeting spaces for students and faculty, and space for visiting researchers and collaborators. The quantum headquarters will integrate the educational, research, and translational aspects of the diverse field of quantum science and engineering in an architecturally cohesive way.

This critical element of Harvard’s quantum strategy was made possible by a generous gift from Stacey L. and David E. Goel ’93 and gifts from several other alumni who stepped forward to support HQI. David Goel, co-founder and managing general partner of Waltham, Mass.-based Matrix Capital Management Co. and one of Harvard’s most ardent supporters, said his gift was inspired both by recognizing Harvard’s “intellectual dynamism and leadership in quantum” and a sense of the utmost urgency to pursue opportunities in this field. “Our existing technologies are reaching the limit of their capacity and cannot drive the innovation we need for the future, specifically in areas like semiconductors, technology, and the life sciences. Quantum is an enabler, providing a multiplier effect on a logarithmic scale. It is a catalyst that drives the kinds of scientific revolutions and epoch-making paradigm shifts.”

Electrodes stretch diamond strings to increase the frequency of atomic vibrations to which an electron is sensitive, just like tightening a guitar string increases the frequency or pitch of the string. The tension quiets a qubit’s environment and improves memory from tens to several hundred nanoseconds, enough time to do many operations on a quantum chip.

Goel credits the academic leaders and their “commitment to ensuring that Harvard’s community will be at the forefront of the science that is already changing the world.”

The University is also building partnerships with industry partners, ranging from startups to major national corporations, that are preparing to bring quantum technologies to the public.

“An incredible foundation has been laid in quantum at Harvard, and we are now at an inflection point to accelerate that activity and build on the momentum that has already made Harvard a leader in the field,” said Frank Doyle, SEAS dean and John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “Research happening right now in Harvard labs is significantly advancing our understanding of quantum science and engineering and positioning us to make breathtaking new discoveries and industry-leading translation breakthroughs.”

To enable opportunities to move from basic to applied research to translating ideas into products, Doyle described a vision for “integrated partnerships where we invite partners from the private sector to be embedded on the campus to learn from the researchers in our labs and where our faculty connect to the private sector and national labs to learn about the cutting-edge applications, as well as help translate of basic research into useful tools for society.”

  “We are at the early stages of a technological transformation, similar or maybe even grander than the excitement and the promise that came with the birth of computer science — and Harvard is at the forefront,” Stubbs said.

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Harvard Launches PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering

Program will prepare leaders of the ‘quantum revolution’

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CAMBRIDGE, MA (Monday, April 26, 2021) – Harvard University today announced one of the world’s first PhD programs in Quantum Science and Engineering , a new intellectual discipline at the nexus of physics, chemistry, computer science, and electrical engineering with the promise to profoundly transform the way we acquire, process and communicate information and interact with the world around us.

“This cross-disciplinary PhD program will prepare our students to become the leaders and innovators in the emerging field of quantum science and engineering,” said Emma Dench, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics. “Harvard’s interdisciplinary strength and intellectual resources make it the perfect place for them to develop their ideas, grow as scholars, and make discoveries that will change the world.”

The University is already home to a robust quantum science and engineering research community, organized under the Harvard Quantum Initiative . With the launch of the PhD program, Harvard is making the next needed commitment to provide foundational education for the next generation of innovators and leaders who will push the boundaries of knowledge and transform quantum science and engineering into useful systems, devices, and applications. 

“The new PhD program is designed to equip students with the appropriate experimental and theoretical education that reflects the nuanced intellectual approaches brought by both the sciences and engineering,” said faculty co-director Evelyn Hu , Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics and of Electrical Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). “The core curriculum dramatically reduces the time to basic quantum proficiency for a community of students who will be the future innovators, researchers, and educators in quantum science and engineering.”

“Quantum science and engineering is not just a hybrid of subjects from different disciplines, but an important new area of study in its own right,” said faculty co-director John Doyle , Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics. “A PhD program is necessary and foundational to the development of this new discipline.”

“America’s continued success leading the quantum revolution depends on accelerating the next generation of talent,” said Dr. Charles Tahan, assistant director for quantum information science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and director of the National Quantum Coordination Office. “It’s nice to see that a key component of Harvard’s education strategy is optimizing how core quantum-relevant concepts are taught.”

The University is also finalizing plans for the comprehensive renovation of a campus building into a new state-of-the-art quantum hub—a shared resource for the quantum community with instructional and research labs, spaces for seminars and workshops, and places for students, faculty, and visiting researchers and collaborators to meet and convene. Harvard’s quantum headquarters will integrate the educational, research, and translational aspects of the diverse field of quantum science and engineering in an architecturally cohesive way. This critical element of Harvard’s quantum strategy was made possible by generous gifts from Stacey L. and David E. Goel ‘93 and several other alumni.

“Existing technologies are reaching the limit of their capacity and cannot drive the innovation we need for the future, specifically in areas like semiconductors and the life sciences,” said Goel, co-founder and managing general partner of Waltham, Massachusetts-based Matrix Capital Management Company, LP, and one of Harvard’s most ardent supporters. “Quantum is an enabler, providing a multiplier effect on a logarithmic scale. It is a catalyst that drives scientific revolutions and epoch-making paradigm shifts.”

“Harvard is making significant institutional investments in its quantum enterprise and in the creation of a new field,” said Science Division Dean Christopher Stubbs, Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and of Astronomy. Stubbs added that several active searches are underway to broaden Harvard’s faculty strength in this domain, and current faculty are building innovative partnerships with industry around quantum research.

“An incredible foundation has been laid in quantum, and we are now at an inflection point to accelerate that activity,” said SEAS Dean Frank Doyle , John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

To enable opportunities to move from basic to applied research to translating ideas into products, Doyle described a vision for “integrated partnerships where we invite partners from the private sector to be embedded on the campus to learn from the researchers in our labs, and where our faculty connect to the private sector and national labs to learn about the cutting-edge applications and to help translate basic research into useful tools for society.”

Harvard will admit the first cohort of PhD candidates in fall 2022 and anticipates enrolling 35 to 40 students in the program. Participating faculty are drawn from physics and chemistry in Harvard’s Division of Science and in applied physics, electrical engineering, and computer science at SEAS.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences provides more information on Harvard’s PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering , including the program philosophy, curriculum, and requirements.

Harvard has a long history of leadership in quantum science and engineering. Theoretical physicist and 2005 Nobel laureate Roy Glauber is widely considered the founding father of quantum optics, and 1989 Nobel laureate Norman Ramsey pioneered much of the experimental foundation of quantum science.

Today, Harvard experimental research groups are among the leaders worldwide in areas such as quantum simulations, metrology, and quantum communications and computation, and are complemented by strong theoretical groups in computer science, physics, and chemistry.

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100 Best colleges for Quantum and Particle physics in the United States

Updated: February 29, 2024

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Below is a list of best universities in the United States ranked based on their research performance in Quantum and Particle physics. A graph of 204M citations received by 5.95M academic papers made by 1,304 universities in the United States was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

For Quantum and Particle physics

2. University of California - Berkeley

3. Stanford University

4. Harvard University

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

7. Princeton University

8. California Institute of Technology

9. University of Texas at Austin

10. University of California - Los Angeles

11. Pennsylvania State University

12. Cornell University

13. Georgia Institute of Technology

14. University of Washington - Seattle

15. University of Wisconsin - Madison

16. University of Maryland - College Park

17. University of California - Santa Barbara

18. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

19. University of California-San Diego

20. Columbia University

21. Northwestern University

22. Ohio State University

23. Purdue University

24. Texas A&M University - College Station

25. University of Pennsylvania

26. Yale University

27. University of Chicago

28. University of Arizona

29. University of Florida

30. Carnegie Mellon University

31. Johns Hopkins University

32. Rutgers University - New Brunswick

33. Iowa State University

34. University of Colorado Boulder

35. University of Southern California

36. Arizona State University - Tempe

37. University of California - Davis

38. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

39. Michigan State University

40. North Carolina State University at Raleigh

41. New York University

42. Duke University

43. University of Utah

44. University of California - Irvine

45. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

46. University of Rochester

47. University of Pittsburgh

48. University of Virginia

49. Boston University

50. Rice University

51. Stony Brook University

52. University of Massachusetts - Amherst

53. University of Notre Dame

54. University of Tennessee - Knoxville

55. Case Western Reserve University

56. University of Delaware

57. Brown University

58. Washington University in St Louis

59. Providence College

60. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

61. University at Buffalo

62. University of Houston

63. Florida State University

64. University of California - Riverside

65. University of California - Santa Cruz

66. University of Illinois at Chicago

67. University of Iowa

68. University of Central Florida

69. Vanderbilt University

70. University of Connecticut

71. University of California - San Francisco

72. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

73. University of Kentucky

74. University of New Mexico

75. Colorado State University - Fort Collins

76. University of South Carolina - Columbia

77. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

78. Northeastern University

79. University of Missouri - Columbia

80. University of Georgia

81. University of Cincinnati

82. Washington State University

83. Oregon State University

84. Drexel University

85. Clemson University

86. Emory University

87. Wayne State University

88. Tulane University of Louisiana

89. Syracuse University

90. University of Oregon

91. University of South Florida

92. Kansas State University

93. University of Kansas

94. University of Oklahoma - Norman

95. University of Miami

96. Lehigh University

97. Missouri University of Science and Technology

98. Tufts University

99. Auburn University

100. Dartmouth College

The best cities to study Quantum and Particle physics in the United States based on the number of universities and their ranks are Cambridge , Berkeley , Stanford , and Ann Arbor .

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Harvard launches phd in quantum science and engineering.

Harvard University announced today one of the world’s first PhD programs in Quantum Science and Engineering,  a new intellectual discipline at the nexus of physics, chemistry, computer science and electrical engineering with the promise to profoundly transform the way we acquire, process and communicate information and interact with the world around us.

With the launch of the PhD program, Harvard is making the next needed commitment to provide the foundational education for the next generation of innovators and leaders who will push the boundaries of knowledge and transform quantum science and engineering into useful systems, devices and applications. 

"The new PhD program is designed to equip students with the appropriate experimental and theoretical education that reflects the nuanced intellectual approaches brought by both the sciences and engineering," said faculty co-director Evelyn Hu, Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics and of Electrical at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). "The core curriculum dramatically reduces the time to basic quantum proficiency for a community of students who will be the future innovators, researchers and educators in quantum science and engineering."

"Quantum science and engineering is not just a hybrid of subjects from different disciplines, but an important new area of study in its own right,” said faculty co-director John Doyle, Henry B. Silsbee Professor of Physics.“A Ph.D. program is necessary and foundational to the development of this new discipline."

The new program lies at the interface of physics, chemistry, and engineering, providing students with exciting opportunities to explore the fundamentals, realizations, and applications of QSE. Students of diverse backgrounds will benefit from an integrated curriculum designed to dramatically reduce the time to basic quantum proficiency and to equip students with experimental and theoretical education that reflects the nuanced intellectual approaches brought by both the sciences and engineering. Students will have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities. Integrating a new approach to interdisciplinary scholarship, graduates of the program will be prepared for careers in academia, industry, and national laboratories.

Research is a primary focus of the program, with students beginning research rotations in their first year. Extensive mentoring and advising is embedded in the program: graduate students in QSE are part of an academic community that cuts across departments and schools and, as such, are strongly encouraged to pursue cross-disciplinary research. In addition to their research, QSE PhD students will receive training in communication and professional opportunities, such as industry internships.

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PhD Program

Graduate student guide -- updated for 2024-25, expected progress of physics graduate student to ph.d..

This document describes the Physics Department's expectations for the progress of a typical graduate student from admission to award of a PhD.  Because students enter the program with different training and backgrounds and because thesis research by its very nature is unpredictable, the time-frame for individual students will vary. Nevertheless, failure to meet the goals set forth here without appropriate justification may indicate that the student is not making adequate progress towards the PhD, and will therefore prompt consideration by the Department and possibly by Graduate Division of the student’s progress, which might lead to probation and later dismissal.

Course Work

Graduate students are required to take a minimum of 38 units of approved upper division or graduate elective courses (excluding any upper division courses required for the undergraduate major).  The department requires that students take the following courses which total 19 units: Physics 209 (Classical Electromagnetism), Physics 211 (Equilibrium Statistical Physics) and Physics 221A-221B (Quantum Mechanics). Thus, the normative program includes an additional 19 units (five semester courses) of approved upper division or graduate elective courses.  At least 11 units must be in the 200 series courses. Some of the 19 elective units could include courses in mathematics, biophysics, astrophysics, or from other science and engineering departments.  Physics 290, 295, 299, 301, and 602 are excluded from the 19 elective units. Physics 209, 211 and 221A-221B must be completed for a letter grade (with a minimum average grade of B).  No more than one-third of the 19 elective units may be fulfilled by courses graded Satisfactory, and then only with the approval of the Department.  Entering students are required to enroll in Physics 209 and 221A in the fall semester of their first year and Physics 211 and 221B in the spring semester of their first year. Exceptions to this requirement are made for 1) students who do not have sufficient background to enroll in these courses and have a written recommendation from their faculty mentor and approval from the head graduate adviser to delay enrollment to take preparatory classes, 2) students who have taken the equivalent of these courses elsewhere and receive written approval from the Department to be exempted. 

If a student has taken courses equivalent to Physics 209, 211 or 221A-221B, then subject credit may be granted for each of these course requirements.  A faculty committee will review your course syllabi and transcript.  A waiver form can be obtained in 378 Physics North from the Student Affairs Officer detailing all required documents.  If the committee agrees that the student has satisfied the course requirement at another institution, the student must secure the Head Graduate Adviser's approval.  The student must also take and pass the associated section of the preliminary exam.  Please note that official course waiver approval will not be granted until after the preliminary exam results have been announced.  If course waivers are approved, units for the waived required courses do not have to be replaced for PhD course requirements.  If a student has satisfied all first year required graduate courses elsewhere, they are only required to take an additional 19 units to satisfy remaining PhD course requirements.  (Note that units for required courses must be replaced for MA degree course requirements even if the courses themselves are waived; for more information please see MA degree requirements).

In exceptional cases, students transferring from other graduate programs may request a partial waiver of the 19 elective unit requirement. Such requests must be made at the time of application for admission to the Department.

The majority of first year graduate students are Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) with a 20 hour per week load (teaching, grading, and preparation).  A typical first year program for an entering graduate student who is teaching is:

First Semester

• Physics 209 Classical Electromagnetism (5)
• Physics 221A Quantum Mechanics (5)
• Physics 251 Introduction to Graduate Research (1)
• Physics 301 GSI Teaching Credit (2)
• Physics 375 GSI Training Seminar (for first time GSI's) (2)

Second Semester

• Physics 211 Equilibrium Statistical Physics (4)
• Physics 221B Quantum Mechanics (5)

Students who have fellowships and will not be teaching, or who have covered some of the material in the first year courses material as undergraduates may choose to take an additional course in one or both semesters of their first year.

Many students complete their course requirements by the end of the second year. In general, students are expected to complete their course requirements by the end of the third year. An exception to this expectation is that students who elect (with the approval of their mentor and the head graduate adviser) to fill gaps in their undergraduate background during their first year at Berkeley often need one or two additional semesters to complete their course work.

Faculty Mentors

Incoming graduate students are each assigned a faculty mentor. In general, mentors and students are matched according to the student's research interest.   If a student's research interests change, or if (s)he feels there is another faculty member who can better serve as a mentor, the student is free to request a change of assignment.

The role of the faculty mentor is to advise graduate students who have not yet identified research advisers on their academic program, on their progress in that program and on strategies for passing the preliminary exam and finding a research adviser.  Mentors also are a “friendly ear” and are ready to help students address other issues they may face coming to a new university and a new city.  Mentors are expected to meet with the students they advise individually a minimum of once per semester, but often meet with them more often.  Mentors should contact incoming students before the start of the semester, but students arriving in Berkeley should feel free to contact their mentors immediately.

Student-Mentor assignments continue until the student has identified a research adviser.  While many students continue to ask their mentors for advice later in their graduate career, the primary role of adviser is transferred to the research adviser once a student formally begins research towards his or her dissertation. The Department asks student and adviser to sign a “mentor-adviser” form to make this transfer official.  

Preliminary Exams

In order to most benefit from graduate work, incoming students need to have a solid foundation in undergraduate physics, including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, special relativity, thermal and statistical physics and quantum mechanics, and to be able to make order-of-magnitude estimates and analyze physical situations by application of general principles. These are the topics typically included, and at the level usually taught, within a Bachelor's degree program in Physics at most universities. As a part of this foundation, the students should also have formed a well-integrated overall picture of the fields studied.

The preliminary examination, also called “prelims”, is designed to ensure that students have a solid foundation in undergraduate physics to prepare them for graduate research. The exam is made up of four sections.  Each section is administered twice a year, at the start of each semester.  

For a longer description of the preliminary exam, please visit Preliminary Exam page

Start of Research

Students are encouraged to begin research as soon as possible. Many students identify potential research advisers in their first year and most have identified their research adviser before the end of their second year.  When a research adviser is identified, the Department asks that both student and research adviser sign a form (also available from the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North) indicating that the student has (provisionally) joined the adviser’s research group with the intent of working towards a PhD.  In many cases, the student will remain in that group for their thesis work, but sometimes the student or faculty adviser will decide that the match of individuals or research direction is not appropriate.  Starting research early gives students flexibility to change groups when appropriate without incurring significant delays in time to complete their degree.

Departmental expectations are that experimental research students begin work in a research group by the summer after the first year; this is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged.  Students doing theoretical research are similarly encouraged to identify a research direction, but often need to complete a year of classes in their chosen specialty before it is possible for them to begin research.  Students intending to become theory students and have to take the required first year classes may not be able to start research until the summer after their second year.  Such students are encouraged to attend theory seminars and maintain contact with faculty in their chosen area of research even before they can begin a formal research program. 

If a student chooses dissertation research with a supervisor who is not in the department, he or she must find an appropriate Physics faculty member who agrees to serve as the departmental research supervisor of record and as co-adviser. This faculty member is expected to monitor the student's progress towards the degree and serve on the student's qualifying and dissertation committees. The student will enroll in Physics 299 (research) in the co-adviser's section.  The student must file the Outside Research Proposal for approval; petitions are available in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.   

Students who have not found a research adviser by the end of the second year will be asked to meet with their faculty mentor to develop a plan for identifying an adviser and research group.  Students who have not found a research adviser by Spring of the third year are not making adequate progress towards the PhD.  These students will be asked to provide written documentation to the department explaining their situation and their plans to begin research.  Based on their academic record and the documentation they provide, such students may be warned by the department that they are not making adequate progress, and will be formally asked to find an adviser.  The record of any student who has not identified an adviser by the end of Spring of the fourth year will be evaluated by a faculty committee and the student may be asked to leave the program. 

Qualifying Exam

Rules and requirements associated with the Qualifying Exam are set by the Graduate Division on behalf of the Graduate Council.  Approval of the committee membership and the conduct of the exam are therefore subject to Graduate Division approval.  The exam is oral and lasts 2-3 hours.  The Graduate Division specifies that the purpose of the Qualifying Exam is “to ascertain the breadth of the student's comprehension of fundamental facts and principles that apply to at least three subject areas related to the major field of study and whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas.”  It also states that “this oral examination of candidates for the doctorate serves a significant additional function. Not only teaching, but the formal interaction with students and colleagues at colloquia, annual meetings of professional societies and the like, require the ability to synthesize rapidly, organize clearly, and argue cogently in an oral setting.  It is necessary for the University to ensure that a proper examination is given incorporating these skills.”

Please see the  Department website for a description of the Qualifying Exam and its Committee .   Note: You must login with your Calnet ID to access QE information . Passing the Qualifying Exam, along with a few other requirements described on the department website, will lead to Advancement to Candidacy.  Qualifying exam scheduling forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.   

The Department expects students to take the Qualifying Exam two or three semesters after they identify a research adviser. This is therefore expected to occur for most students in their third year, and no later than fourth year. A student is considered to have begun research when they first register for Physics 299 or fill out the department mentor-adviser form showing that a research adviser has accepted the student for PhD work or hired as a GSR (Graduate Student Researcher), at which time the research adviser becomes responsible for guidance and mentoring of the student.  (Note that this decision is not irreversible – the student or research adviser can decide that the match of individuals or research direction is not appropriate or a good match.)  Delays in this schedule cause concern that the student is not making adequate progress towards the PhD.  The student and adviser will be asked to provide written documentation to the department explaining the delay and clarifying the timeline for taking the Qualifying Exam.

Annual Progress Reports

Graduate Division requires that each student’s performance be annually assessed to provide students with timely information about the faculty’s evaluation of their progress towards PhD.  Annual Progress Reports are completed during the Spring Semester.  In these reports, the student is asked to discuss what progress he or she has made toward the degree in the preceding year, and to discuss plans for the following year and for PhD requirements that remain to be completed.  The mentor or research adviser or members of the Dissertation Committee (depending on the student’s stage of progress through the PhD program) comment on the student’s progress and objectives. In turn, the student has an opportunity to make final comments. 

Before passing the Qualifying Exam, the annual progress report (obtained from the Physics Student Affairs Office in 378 Physics North) is completed by the student and either his/her faculty mentor or his/her research adviser, depending on whether or not the student has yet begun research (see above).  This form includes a statement of intended timelines to take the Qualifying Exam, which is expected to be within 2-3 semesters of starting research.  

After passing the Qualifying Exam, the student and research adviser complete a similar form, but in addition to the research adviser, the student must also meet with at least one other and preferably both other members of their Dissertation Committee (this must include their co-adviser if the research adviser is not a member of the Physics Department) to discuss progress made in the past year, plans for the upcoming year, and overall progress towards the PhD.  This can be done either individually as one-on-one meetings of the graduate student with members of the Dissertation Committee, or as a group meeting with presentation. (The Graduate Council requires that all doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy meet annually with at least two members of the Dissertation Committee. The annual review is part of the Graduate Council’s efforts to improve the doctoral completion rate and to shorten the time it takes students to obtain a doctorate.)

Advancement to Candidacy

After passing the Qualifying Examination, the next step in the student's career is to advance to candidacy as soon as possible.  Advancement to candidacy is the academic stage when a student has completed all requirements except completion of the dissertation.  Students are still required to enroll in 12 units per semester; these in general are expected to be seminars and research units.  Besides passing the Qualifying Exam, there are a few other requirements described in the Graduate Program Booklet. Doctoral candidacy application forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.

Completion of Dissertation Work

The expected time for completion of the PhD program is six years.  While the Department recognizes that research time scales can be unpredictable, it strongly encourages students and advisers to develop dissertation proposals consistent with these expectations.  The Berkeley Physics Department does not have dissertation defense exams, but encourages students and their advisers to ensure that students learn the important skill of effective research presentations, including a presentation of their dissertation work to their peers and interested faculty and researchers.