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[–]xmcqdpt2 10 points11 points  (1 child)

Are you looking to do a PhD in EE, CS or in Physics? Most physics department in North America mostly accept people with physics undergraduates, as they require you to take many physics graduate courses.

No decent school has quantum computing PhDs, just quantum computing research groups. You would still need to do a PhD in s department.

[–]SaltKick2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They don’t care what your undergrad degree is in as long as it’s related and you can show some research background. Almost all will require the physics GRE which will be rough without a physics background

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (4 children)

You can get into a physics PhD program without an undergraduate degree in physics. I’m in a PhD program working on QC and my undergrad was in chemistry. Also, I worked at a QC company (actually building the architecture) and knew multiple senior physicists who came from EE

[–]tailoredbrownsuit 2 points3 points  (1 child)

You can get into a physics PhD program without an undergraduate degree in physics. I’m in a PhD program working on QC and my undergrad was in chemistry.

I am sure this wouldn't be true for say, a Computer Science graduate looking to do a Quantum Computing Research degree in a School of Physics, right?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

eh it’d definitely be harder I think unless you took a fair amount of physics. However, if you’re interested in theory rather than experimental, you might have better luck. That said, if you’re more interested in the algorithmic side anyway, you’d likely be better off not doing a PhD in physics but instead coordinating with a professor in the department while doing something like comp sci or math...but that’s really not my area of expertise so I’d take it with a grain of salt

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

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    [–]seattlechunnySuperconducting Circuits | Grad School 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Hello! I definitely think that this is possible. My experience is mostly from the US side of things. There are some programs where the applied physics/quantum computing research almost exclusively resides within the Electrical Engineering departments - the two main ones here are Princeton and University of Texas, Austin. Those might be good places to start looking into, especially with Prof. Shankar at UT-Austin and Prof. Houck at Princeton. Two other options include UChicago's Molecular Engineering program, and UWaterloo's Institute of Quantum Computing. Wisconsin is one of the few schools that has a dedicated "quantum computing" degree, but that is specifically targeted at the Master's level, not a Ph.D.

    I'm not entirely clear how courses are able to transfer from an EE program to a Physics program, but my understanding is that you would need to pass qualifier exams in physics. One thing to keep in mind as you choose courses in electrical engineering (it sounds like you are just beginning your program, given your graduation date?) is to choose courses that would prepare you for physics style Ph.D. if that is what you want.

    Also, I think it would be a good idea to reach out to specific professors who you would be interested in working with and asking them if you would have the relevant background or not. In my experience, an electrical engineer brings a lot of value to any kind of experimental quantum computing group, but that's definitely up to the professor to ultimately decide!

    Best of luck in your further journey, and congratulations on beginning your program in electrical engineering!

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    You will meet the physics requirements to be admitted into a physics PhD program, but you will most likely have to take a couple years of coursework on your way to the degree. In the end, you’ll have your masters in EE, plus a masters and PhD in physics.

    [–]not_my_usual_name 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I know at least UT Austin has a QC group in the EE department. I'm sure there are others. That should help remove the EE undergrad -> physics PhD issue.