Our core courses will provide sufficient knowledge to participate in most restricted-choice electives offered by our programme.

No, there will be no selective admission or enrolment quota. The admission will be based on having a relevant Bachelor’s degree (such as Computer Science, Mathematics or Physics. ) and mathematical maturity.

If you want to be sure that you meet the requirement of mathematical maturity, then you should follow at least 24ECTS of courses from a Bachelor’s in Mathematics. If that is not possible, then follow at least one course that is part of a Mathematics Bachelor’s programme to properly understand what it means to do proofs in a mathematically rigorous way, and you can then more easily compare this to your experience in your other courses to see which ones are the most similar and might qualify.

Just based on the name of a course, we cannot judge whether it qualifies for mathematical maturity. Courses with the same name can have vastly varying content or exercises. A course in 'Linear Algebra' in a Mathematics Bachelor’s programme differs heavily from one in a Computer Science programme. If the mathematics course stems from a Bachelor’s in Mathematics it very likely qualifies, if it is from a different Bachelor’s than most of these courses probably will not qualify.

When you apply for the programme, you will be able to describe in detail what the content, problems and exercises were that you interacted with in each course that you think qualifies for mathematical maturity. What is important for us is that you have acquired skills to do mathematical proofs yourself. So, a course in which the lecturer does proofs in the lecture, but you do not prove things yourself in mathematical exercises, does not qualify. Note that sometimes 'proof' is used in an exercise when ‘calculate’ is meant. For instance, calculating the value of an integral, what the derivative is of a function, the determinant of a matrix, or anything else you could calculate using an algorithm described by the lecturer are not examples of a proof but of a calculation. In general, a proof is something that requires some creativity and applies to an entire class of objects at the same time. If this does not apply to any of the content or exercises in your courses, then those courses do not meet the requirement of mathematical maturity.

You can always register and offer argumentation for why you think you would be a good fit for the programme. However, meeting the requirements as outlined on our programme’s website is the only way to be sure you are eligible. We understand that applicants can come from various backgrounds, and we will take into account other skills or experiences that might compensate for a lack of established mathematical rigour. For instance, if you have already followed courses on quantum computing at a Bachelor’s level, did a substantial (thesis) project on quantum computing or can demonstrate other forms of relevant academic achievements. 

Due to its research expertise in quantum computing and quantum information, the UvA has been offering quantum-related courses for many years now. The new Master's programme integrates existing courses and newly designed courses into a unique and cohesive curriculum to educate a new generation of quantum professionals.

Two of the core courses of the programme, Quantum Computing and Quantum Information Theory, have been offered for more than a decade and continue to receive positive evaluations from students. Most of courses that were newly developed for the MSc QuCS have done a trial-run as electives to ensure that the course materials, scheduled activities and lecturers will be up and running for the start of the new programme.

No, this as a full-time programme.

The application process and the deadline depend on whether you have completed your prior education in the Netherlands or abroad.  We strongly recommend to start the application procedure early. Getting all your documents ready and going through the process will take several days.

Have a look at the procedure on the page dedicated to Application and admission.

For more questions, please have a look at our Study Programme page.