Characterization of US institution’s graduate quantum mechanics curriculum

Enrollment in a graduate level quantum mechanics course is an integral experience for graduate students. Students’ understanding of the material in these courses is pivotal for their passing of their qualifying exams, participating in research, and future employment at companies developing quantum technologies. Using a syllabi analysis and publicly available course catalogs, this presentation will characterize the graduate level quantum curriculum at more than 190 research intensive institutions and minority serving institutions that offer graduate level education in physics. The information provided by the syllabi will determine the number of courses and quantum topics students are required to learn in their graduate level education. This data combined with our previous study on the four-year undergraduate quantum curriculum will provide evidence for the cohesiveness or lack thereof in the transition between undergraduate and graduate level quantum mechanics.