A student graduating with a bachelor's degree from CU Boulder may also earn a minor in quantum engineering. Students earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or Electrical & Computer Engineering are eligible for this minor; however, they may not count the three required courses for the minor towards both their bachelor's degree and their minor.
The minor in quantum engineering provides training and a solid foundation in quantum technologies. Quantum technologies have applications in quantum-enhanced sensors, quantum communications, and quantum computing. The goal is to introduce students to the fundamentals of quantum theory and explore all of the major hardware platforms. This will allow graduates to easily adapt to the variety of technologies seen in industry. The skills obtained in this minor are important to students who expect to participate in real-world situations that increasingly involve quantum technologies.
Requirements
Prerequisites
Students admitted to the Quantum Engineering Minor must have a cumulative GPA of 2.700 or better.
There are three prerequisites for the quantum engineering minor.
- Programming. ASEN 1320, ECEN 1310, CSCI 1300, APPM 3050, PHYS 2600 or similar.
- Calculus 2 (minimum). APPM 1360, MATH 2300 or similar.
- Linear Algebra. MATH 3135, MATH 2130, MATH 2135, APPM 3310, CSCI 2820, APPM 2360 or similar.
Additionally, it is recommended that students have taken Calculus 3: APPM 2350, MATH 2400 or similar and probability: APPM 3570, STAT 3100, MATH 3510, ECEN 3810 or similar. Finally, PHYS 2130 is recommended as a preparatory subject for the minor. A grade of C- or better is required in all prerequisite courses.
Course Requirements
This minor requires a minimum of 18 credit hours.
A cumulative GPA of 2.000 or better is required for courses used to satisfy the requirements of this minor. Each individual course that is counted toward this minor must be passed with a grade of D- or better (note that a C- or better grade is required in all prerequisite courses).
Required Courses and Credits
Within the Quantum Engineering minor there is a theory and experimental track. It will consist of a set of required core courses and a selection of electives, as follows.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations Courses (to be taken by both Theory & Experimental Track students) | 6 | |
| ECEN 4915 | (ECEN 4914 Foundations of Quantum Engineering) | |
| ECEN 4925 | Foundations of Quantum Hardware | |
| Track Course | 3 | |
| Theory Track | ||
| CSCI 3090 | Introduction to Quantum Computing | |
| or PHYS 3090 | Introduction to Quantum Computing | |
| Experimental Track (to be offered starting in 2023 or 2024) | ||
| ECEN 4XXX Quantum Engineering Lab | ||
| Electives 1 | 9 | |
| Microelectronics | ||
| Electromagnetic Fields and Waves | ||
| Electromagnetic Waves and Transmission | ||
| Control Systems Analysis | ||
| Compiler Construction | ||
| Undergraduate Optics Laboratory | ||
| Optoelectronic System Design | ||
| Microwave and RF Laboratory | ||
| Theory of Machine Learning | ||
| High-Dimensional Probability for Data Science | ||
| Introduction to Solid State Physics | ||
| Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics | ||
| Optics | ||
| Advanced Laboratory | ||
| Data Assimilation in High Dimensional Dynamical Systems | ||
| Advanced Statistical Modeling | ||
| Markov Processes, Queues, and Monte Carlo Simulations | ||
| Statistical Learning | ||
| Introduction to Time Series | ||
| Instrumentation and Process Control | ||
| Physical Chemistry for Engineers | ||
| Chemical Engineering Laboratory | ||
| Numerical Computation | ||
| Theory of Computation | ||
| Compiler Construction | ||
| Machine Learning | ||
| Finite Element Analysis | ||
| 1 | Listed electives are not required to relax their prerequisites to enable students to take the course. Students may also seek permission from the program director of the Quantum Engineering minor to apply an alternative course toward the minor. The decision will be at the discretion of the program director. |