Quantum Computing and Information Specialization in Electrical Engineering Master Degree
Hiu Yung Wong · 2022 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE) · 2022
In this paper, we discuss the Quantum Computing and Information (QCI) Specialization introduced in Fall 2021 in the Department of Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University (SJSU). SJSU is a Minority and Hispanic Serving Institution at the heart of Silicon Valley. Its engineering graduates have been the major workforce supply in the semiconductor industry in the last few decades. As quantum technology is becoming more and more prominent in the industry, it is important to train the students to be quantum-aware. In the course of developing quantum technology classes, the balance needs to be taken by considering the education and social-economic backgrounds of the students and the "return-on-investment" (ROI) from both the student and school resource perspectives. Therefore, to achieve the balance, a QCI specialization was introduced with three classes, namely, Introduction to Quantum Computing, Cryogenic Nanoelectronics, and Quantum Computing Architectures. We will discuss the design of the courses and how they provide the minimal knowledge engineering students need to learn to work in the quantum technology industry.