Experimental Skills for Undergraduate Career Preparation in Quantum Information Science and Engineering

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: El-Adawy, Shams, Piña, A. R., Zwickl, Benjamin M., Lewandowski, H. J.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866911582400806912
author El-Adawy, Shams
Piña, A. R.
Zwickl, Benjamin M.
Lewandowski, H. J.
author_facet El-Adawy, Shams
Piña, A. R.
Zwickl, Benjamin M.
Lewandowski, H. J.
contents The growth of the Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) industry has increased interest in how undergraduate programs prepare students for careers in this field. Prior research emphasizes the value of experiential learning as preparation for the quantum industry, but lacks specificity regarding the experimental skills needed for positions available to bachelor's degree graduates. In this study, we investigate the experimental skills associated with bachelor's-level quantum industry positions through 44 semi-structured interviews with quantum industry professionals. Guided by the American Association of Physics Teachers recommendations for the undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum, we characterize the experimental skills associated with positions described as requiring bachelor's-level preparation and thematically synthesize them into four categories: instrumentation, computation and data analysis, experimental and project design, and communication and collaboration. We further examine how these skills cluster across role types and articulate them as learning goals to provide guidance for educators interested in aligning undergraduate instruction with the needs of students wanting to pursue a career in the quantum industry. Our findings suggest the need to emphasize the discussion of hardware in QISE theory courses, expand experimental training through instructional laboratories, and intentionally integrate professional skills in undergraduate QISE education.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_09382
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Experimental Skills for Undergraduate Career Preparation in Quantum Information Science and Engineering
El-Adawy, Shams
Piña, A. R.
Zwickl, Benjamin M.
Lewandowski, H. J.
Physics Education
The growth of the Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) industry has increased interest in how undergraduate programs prepare students for careers in this field. Prior research emphasizes the value of experiential learning as preparation for the quantum industry, but lacks specificity regarding the experimental skills needed for positions available to bachelor's degree graduates. In this study, we investigate the experimental skills associated with bachelor's-level quantum industry positions through 44 semi-structured interviews with quantum industry professionals. Guided by the American Association of Physics Teachers recommendations for the undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum, we characterize the experimental skills associated with positions described as requiring bachelor's-level preparation and thematically synthesize them into four categories: instrumentation, computation and data analysis, experimental and project design, and communication and collaboration. We further examine how these skills cluster across role types and articulate them as learning goals to provide guidance for educators interested in aligning undergraduate instruction with the needs of students wanting to pursue a career in the quantum industry. Our findings suggest the need to emphasize the discussion of hardware in QISE theory courses, expand experimental training through instructional laboratories, and intentionally integrate professional skills in undergraduate QISE education.
title Experimental Skills for Undergraduate Career Preparation in Quantum Information Science and Engineering
topic Physics Education
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.09382