David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (Quantum Information)

The University of Waterloo, home of the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), offers graduate students unique opportunities to learn about and engage in world-leading research in quantum information through a wide range of advanced research projects and advanced courses on the foundations, applications and implementation of quantum information processing.

In particular, the University of Waterloo offers a unique interdisciplinary graduate program in Quantum Information that leads to MMath, MSc, MASc, and PhD degrees. This program is a collaboration between the Institute for Quantum Computing and:

• The Departments of Applied Mathematics, Combinatorics and Optimization, and the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Mathematics
• The Departments of Chemistry and  Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science 
• The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering 

These academic units are referred to hereinafter as the home units.

MMath, MSc, and MASc students will receive both strong and broad foundations in quantum information science, coupled with knowledge and expertise obtained within their home programs. This will prepare them for the workforce and/or further graduate studies and research leading towards a PhD degree.

PhD students will be especially well-prepared for careers as scholars and researchers, with advanced expertise in quantum information science, together with the focus of their home programs. This new program is designed to provide students with knowledge of quantum information, including both theory and its implementations, advanced expertise in quantum information science and in home program disciplines, as well as training in research.

Admission requirements are the same as those of the home programs. The home unit in which an applicant intends to pursue graduate study must approve the application. Interested students should apply directly to one of the following units via the regular university application process:

Department of Applied Mathematics
Department of Chemistry
Department of Combinatorics and Optimization
David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department of Physics and Astronomy

Information specific to the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science is given below.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements are the same as those for PhD in Computer Science. Please refer to the department's website.

Degree Requirements

For the PhD in Computer Science (Quantum Information), students must fulfill the degree requirements for the PhD in Computer Science in addition to the specific requirements for the Quantum Information program. The combined requirements include coursework, comprehensive requirements, seminar requirements, and a doctoral thesis.

Coursework

Course Requirement in Computer Science

• A student who already has a Master's degree must take four additional one-term graduate courses after the Master's degree. At least one of these courses must be at the 800 level, and at most one can be at the 600 level. Not more than two courses can be in the same area.
• A student who enters the PhD program directly from a bachelor's degree must take eight additional one-term graduate courses after the bachelor's degree. At least three of these courses must be at the 800 level, and at most three can be at the 600 level.

In addition, the courses taken must satisfy the Quantum Information course requirement.

Quantum Information Course Requirement

Students entering the PhD program following completion of a master’s degree equivalent to that offered by one of the participating academic units at the University of Waterloo must either previously have successfully completed the two required core Quantum Information courses or their equivalents at another institution, or must complete them during the PhD program.

Core Courses

• QIC 710: Quantum Information Processing (0.5 credit)
• QIC 750: Implementation of Quantum Information Processing (0.5 credit)

Furthermore, the completion of     

• Two additional graduate courses in Quantum Information
  is required to satisfy the course requirements for a PhD in Computer Science (Quantum Information).

Comprehensive Requirements

The Comprehensive-I requirement ("breadth requirement") ensures that a student has sufficient breadth of knowledge to undertake research at the PhD level. A student meets the requirement by taking a number of advanced courses in a broad range of categories and areas. The courses used must all have a minimum mark of B+ (or equivalent).

Categories and Areas for Breadth Requirement

The breadth requirement divides the subject matter of computer science into three broad categories. Each category is subdivided into areas that represent a range of the fields of computer science, as given in the table below. The table also indicates where computer science courses at the University of Waterloo fit in these categories and areas. A student must have at least one advanced course in six of the eleven areas, including at least one area from each category:

* The versions of CS 856 entitled "Internet-Scale Distributed Data Management" and "Web Data Management" can be used as a Databases course.
** CS 858 can be used as a Hardware and Software Systems course or as an Algorithms and Complexity course, depending on the course offering.

Advanced courses taken in an undergraduate program as well as graduate courses can be used to meet the breadth requirement in each of the categories and areas. For example, at UW many of the 600-level graduate courses hold lectures in common with 400-level undergraduate courses. For the purposes of meeting the breadth requirement, the 400-level course is considered to be equivalent to the 600-level course. Although courses from other universities may not cover exactly the same material as the UW courses, they will be evaluated by the Graduate Committee to determine if the topics covered and the depth of the material is appropriate. Offerings of CS 690B, 698, 798, 898 or equivalent may also count in an appropriate area. Courses offered by other departments may also have assigned areas.

Procedure

Within a month of entering a PhD program, a new student submits a document to the Graduate Committee detailing their relevant past courses and future plans. Written in consultation with the student's supervisor, it should indicate:

• courses or equivalent (including theses) already taken by the student that fulfill part of the breadth requirement
• a proposed program of study (including the terms during which the courses will be taken), which the student intends to complete in order to fulfill the remaining part of the breadth requirement.

The graduate committee must be able to determine the content, level and mark for courses used to fulfill the requirement as compared to courses at Waterloo. The student must provide sufficient evidence to convince the committee that a course (or courses) listed does indeed fulfill an area requirement. Pertinent information includes course syllabi, textbooks used, descriptions of prerequisites or co-requisites, and references to university catalogues (web-based or otherwise accessible). The graduate committee will ask the student for more information or certification in cases of doubt and will consult with experts in the department as it deems appropriate. The graduate committee will be the final arbiter of whether courses taken and marks obtained satisfy the requirements.

By the end of the student's first term in the program, the committee will inform the student which categories and areas the submitted courses have satisfied and whether the submitted plan will suffice to complete the breadth requirement.

A student must complete the breadth requirement by the end of their fourth term.

Comprehensive-II

The Comprehensive-II requirement ensures that a student has sufficient depth of knowledge in the chosen area of research. It comprises an oral presentation of a research proposal (not a thesis proposal) together with questioning by the advisory committee. The presentation and questioning are held in closed session. The committee will determine whether the chosen research area is suitable for a thesis topic and whether the student has demonstrated an appropriate depth of knowledge of the chosen area and is capable of undertaking such a thesis. The committee reports its decision to the student and to the Graduate Committee: either "pass" or "fail and re-take later". In the latter case, the report details the reasons for the decision and what needs to be done to satisfy the committee.

An advisory committee is struck for each PhD student. It consists of the student's supervisor, co-supervisor (if any) and at least two other faculty members in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science chosen by the mutual agreement of the committee, the student and the Director of Graduate Studies. Normally, this committee forms the basis of the student's PhD thesis defense committee.

PhD students are normally expected to complete the Comprehensive-II requirement within the first six terms of their program. If the student changes research area, they should pass a new Comprehensive-II examination in the new area.

Seminar Requirement

Each candidate for the PhD degree in Computer Science must present at least three publicly announced seminars during the program. The purpose of this requirement is twofold: first, it ensures that each student participates in the academic life of the department and, second, it provides an opportunity for students to hone their presentational skills. Each seminar should be attended by at least the student's supervisor and one other faculty member of the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, who will be required to assess and approve the quality of the presentation.

For the PhD in Computer science (Quantum Information), students must fulfill a Seminar requirement consisting of one IQC seminar, and one seminar on a Quantum Information topic aimed at members of the School of Computer Science. One or both of these seminars may simultaneously count towards the seminar/lecturing requirement of the home program

Thesis

Each PhD candidate must submit a thesis embodying the results of their own original research. Upon completion of the thesis, the candidate defends the final document before an examination board consisting of the supervisor, co-supervisor (if any), two faculty members from the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, one University of Waterloo faculty member external to the school and an external examiner. The examination exposes the candidate's work to scholarly criticism and gives the student the opportunity to defend it.

Students are required to write a thesis in Quantum Information. The thesis must satisfy all the requirements of the Computer Science program. 

An updated list of Quantum Information courses is available on the IQC website.

Faculty Advisors/Thesis Supervisors

A current listing of Quantum Information thesis supervisors and their home unit is available on the IQC website.

For more information, please contact:

Cheryl Suitor
Computer Science, Graduate Studies
E-mail: csgrad@uwaterloo.ca
Phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 36468

or

Monica Dey
Institute for Quantum Computing
University of Waterloo
E-mail: mdey@iqc.ca
Phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 38702