Accreditation for new Master’s Degree in Quantum Information Science & Technology

On 16 February the Netherlands-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO) accredited the Master's degree in Quantum Information Science & Technology (QIST). With this accreditation, the new programme can officially kick off in September 2023. The Master’s programme is a collaboration between TU Delft (AS, EEMCS and QuTech) and Leiden University. 

Future students of the Quantum Information Science & Technology (QIST) Master's programme will acquire broad and deep fundamental knowledge about quantum technology and be involved in cutting edge development of practical applications in the field. In the process, they will learn to understand, design, build and research quantum information processing systems. Examples of such systems include quantum computers, quantum communication networks and quantum sensors. 

Positive reaction
According to Director of Studies Miriam Blaauboer, an afternoon in November was the most tense moment in the accreditation process: “That was the afternoon that the NVAO panel came by to visit. You can usually tell by the feedback of the panel members at the end of the day whether the programme will be accredited or not. So at that moment – informally speaking – you basically know what the outcome will be. When we heard the unanimously positive reactions of the panel, I remember feeling incredibly happy and grateful for the whole team from Delft and Leiden, which spent almost two years developing the programme. That day, we already raised a glass for a toast to the programme with many of the teachers, students, deans and others who were involved!”

Starting a conversation
Now that QIST has been formally accredited, Blaauboer and her colleagues are hard at work to get all the logistics, timetable scheduling and student information in order. They recently took part in the Master's Market in the Aula building and are also set to participate in the information activities for prospective students in Leiden in March. Blaauboer: "I am most looking forward to meeting the first group of students and engaging with them and our lecturers after each block of courses. We want to actively use the resulting feedback to keep fine-tuning the programme and solve the teething problems that any new programme is bound to have."

More information on the Master's programme

Read more: Interview with Miriam Blaauboer on QIST in Delta