FAQ / Resources

A: Yes, UNC offers COMP/PHYS 447, an introduction to quantum computing concepts and foundational algorithms. It is offered intermittently, but our sources say it will be likely be offered again in 2 years (as of 2026 spring)

A: UNCQC serves as quantum outreach and education on campus, so hopefully we eventually get a quantum center! In the meantime, Duke and NC State have quantum centers that are excellent resources. They are linked at the bottom of this page.

A: There is no predetermined major or focus for quantum computing at UNC, but one can make use of the IDST (interdisciplinary studies) major to combine topics across fields of physics, math, computer science, etc. that are utilized in quantum computing! For more details, talk to Grant!

We can teach you the foundations, but if you'd like to reinforce learning it would depend on your focus. To develop quantum hardware, low-level systems and physics courses would be beneficial! If you'd like to develop the algorithms, pure math or computer science could be up your alley. Applying quantum computing to real world problems uses all sorts of statistics, finance, chemistry, etc.

We teach you quantum computing with cloud computing: We use the Qiskit Python SDK to code up quantum circuits that can be sent as jobs to the IBM Quantum Platform. IBM provides computing resources one can access for free on a trial-basis or via paid subscription. However, if these aren't options, there are still ways to "simulate" a quantum computer on your own hardware by recreating the random noise associated with qubits in an actual quantum computer. All you need is an IDE and enthusiasm!