Quantum computing is a relatively new field of computer science and physics. It’s still early days, but Stanford professor Andrew Ng believes that it could have a profound impact on the future of computing. In this article I’ll explain what quantum computing is and then present an overview of the most popular and overall best courses out there to start dipping your toes into the quantum computing universe.
What is Quantum Computing?
Quantum computers are designed to solve problems that even the best traditional computers today cannot solve. Quantum physicists use the laws of quantum mechanics to describe how atoms behave when they’re placed in an array called a “superposition” of states until they can be measured by an observer (usually from outside the system).
Best online courses to learn Quantum Computing
To get a better understanding of or expand your knowledge on quantum computing there’s a plethora of online learning opportunities ranging from beginner to advanced levels of knowledge. Below you’ll find an overview of the best online courses out there to start or continue learning about quantum computing.
Udemy Courses
The Complete Quantum Computing Course
In this course you’ll learn about quantum computing, quantum programming, Qiskit, Python and quantum computers in general. It lasts around 15 hours in total, has 11 sections and over 100 lectures.
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 (803 Ratings) 🎓 Students Enrolled: 6,880 ⏳ Duration: 15.5 hours 💲 Cost: $14.99 🔗 Link: The Complete Quantum Computing Course
Here’s a list of the topics that the course covers:
- Quantum Computer and Classical Computer principals
- Probability, Statistics, Matrices
- Superposition
- Entanglement
- Interference
- Qubit
- Superdense Coding
- Quantum Teleportation
- Bernstein Vazirani Algorithm
- Deutsch Algorithm
- Shor Algorithm
- Grover Algorithm
- Python from Scratch
- Quantum Fourier Transform
- Quantum Phase Estimation
Around 7000 students are enrolled in this course and the average rating is 4.5/5. It’s aimed at complete beginners and it’s supposed to provide you with a good foundation and basic understanding of quantum computing.
QC101 Quantum Computing & Quantum Machine Learning
Over 8000 students are enrolled in this course and the average rating is 4.5/5. It lasts around 12 hours in total, has 17 sections and 275 lectures. This course is not for absolute beginners, the requirements include 12th-grade-level high-school Math and Physics.
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 (1,609 Ratings) 🎓 Students Enrolled: 8,294 ⏳ Duration: 11 hours 💲 Cost: $18.99 🔗 Link: Quantum Computing and Quantum Machine Learning
Some topics covered in the course include:
- Quantum cryptography
- Developing, simulating, and debugging quantum programs on IBM Qiskit and Microsoft Q#
- Running quantum programs on a real quantum computer through IBM Quantum Experience
- Using Dirac’s notation and quantum physics models to analyze quantum circuits
- Training a Quantum Support Vector Machine (Quantum Machine Learning) on real-world data
- Learning Data Science and how quantum computing can help in artificial intelligence/machine learning
- Learning why machine learning will be the killer app for quantum computing
Quantum Computing with Qiskit Ultimate Masterclass
This comprehensive Udemy course has 49 sections, 268 lectures and a total length of 16h 45m. To take the course you need to have coding experience with Python Programming language and have basic knowledge of trigonometry, complex numbers, linear algebra and probability. Over 13,000 students have enrolled in this course so far and the average rating is 4.2/5.
⭐️ Rating: 4.2/5 (182 Ratings) 🎓 Students Enrolled: 13,563 ⏳ Duration: 16.5 hours 💲 Cost: $14.99 🔗 Link: Quantum Computing with Qiskit
What you’ll learn:
- Learn the fundamentals of mathematics and physics behind Quantum Computing
- Explore core concepts of Quantum Computing – Superposition, Interference and Entanglement
- Learn about Quantum Gates and construct Quantum Circuits with IBM Qiskit
- Learn Quantum Gate decomposition and Quantum Circuit Optimization of large Quantum Circuits
- Learn Quantum Teleportation and Superdense Coding with their implementation using IBM Qiskit
- Run your Quantum Programs on a real IBM Quantum Computer
- Learn and gain background to think and analyze about Quantum Algorithms
- Gain Confidence to tackle Quantum Programming Challenges organized by Quantum Computing Companies
EdX Courses
If you’re looking for a way to learn about quantum computing, then EdX is the place for you.
There are currently over 100 courses available on quantum computing at EdX, including ones from MIT itself as well as Stanford University and UPenn University.
The Quantum Internet and Quantum Computers: How Will They Change the World?
The course lasts for six weeks and takes around 2 to 3 hours per week. It’s a self-paced course and is free with optional upgrades such as getting a certificate after completion. So far over 18000 people have enrolled in the course. To take the course no technical background is required only a strong interest in quantum computing.
⭐️ Rating: NA 🎓 Students Enrolled: 18,778 ⏳ Duration: 6 weeks 💲 Cost: $139 for unlimited access and certificate upon completion. You can access this for free with limited access and without certification. 🔗 Link: Quantum Internet and Quantum Computers: How will they change the world
A list of topics it covers:
- The basics of quantum computing and the quantum internet
- The key application areas in which quantum technologies will change the world.
- The potential advantages of a quantum computer and the quantum internet, but also the challenges in realizing them.
- The basic quantum phenomena that make quantum technologies possible.
Quantum 101: Quantum Computing & Quantum Internet
This course also comes with the possibility of getting a professional certification. It’s a comprehensive course split up into two parts which last for three months each taking up around 6-8 hours a week.
⭐️ Rating: NA 🎓 Students Enrolled: NA ⏳ Duration: 3 months 💲 Cost: $268 🔗 Link: Quantum Computing and Quantum Internet
What you’ll learn:
- The basics of four different physical implementations of qubits, the building blocks of a quantum computer: Silicon spin qubits, diamond NV center qubits, superconducting qubits, and topological qubits.
- How best to interface classical control circuitry with a quantum processor.
- Micro-architectures, compilers, and programming languages for a quantum processor.
- Quantum error correction for fault-tolerant quantum computing.
- Quantum algorithms that can be run on a quantum processor (e.g. Grover’s algorithm).
- The quantum internet and its applications.
Applied Quantum Computing I: Fundamentals
While the ones above are self-paced, this course is led by an instructor. It lasts 6 weeks at around 7-8 hours per week. The course is not for complete beginners as it requires a minimal set of engineering and science prerequisites. There are two more courses you can take after completing this one – ‘Quantum Computing 2: Hardware‘ and ‘Quantum Computing 3: Algorithm and Software‘. These courses are part of the Micro Masters program offered by Purdue University on edX.
⭐️ Rating: NA 🎓 Students Enrolled: NA ⏳ Duration: 6 weeks 💲 Cost: $750 for unlimited access and certificate upon completion. You can access this for free with limited access and without certification. 🔗 Link: Applied Quantum Computing Fundamentals
Some topics covered are:
- Postulates of quantum mechanics
- Gate-based quantum computing
- Quantum errors and error correction
- Adiabatic quantum computing
- Quantum simulation
- Quantum machine learning
Future Learn Courses
Future Learn is a website that provides online courses in IT & Computer Science. Among these courses you can find a couple that deal with quantum computing.
Understanding Quantum Computers
This is an intermediate course that lasts 4 weeks and has had over 14000 students so far. The average rating is 4.7/5. The course is for anyone interested in quantum computing and willing to exercise their brains to grasp all the complex concepts.
⭐️ Rating: 4.7/5 (58 Ratings) 🎓 Students Enrolled: 14,071 ⏳ Duration: 4 weeks 💲 Cost: $69 one-off payment or subscribe to the platform for $27.99/month. You can also access this for free with limited access 🔗 Link: Understanding Quantum Computers
The topics it covers:
- Waves and interference
- Quantum superposition and entanglement
- Computational complexity
- The quantum Fourier transform
- Shor’s algorithm for factoring large numbers
- Grover’s algorithm
- Quantum chemistry and machine learning
- Physical phenomena as quantum bits (qubits)
- Quantum computing hardware and architecture
- Quantum error correction
- The quantum information technology industry
Coursera Courses
Coursera is a free online learning platform that offers over 1,000 courses from top universities and organizations around the world. The website has been around since 2012 and offers certificates of mastery for select courses.
Introduction to Quantum Information
The course provides an introduction to quantum information at a beginning graduate level. During the 7 weeks it takes to complete the course, you’ll have access to 33 video materials. Close to 6000 students have taken the course so far and the average rating is 4.4/5.
⭐️ Rating: 4.4/5 (45 Ratings) 🎓 Students Enrolled: 5,899 ⏳ Duration: 7 weeks 💲 Cost: Enrolment is free but for certification you need to pay 🔗 Link: Introduction to Quantum Information
These are the topics it covers:
- Quantum Theory to Information Technologies
- Single qubit
- Bipartite quantum systems
- Quantum computing
- Quantum communication
- Entanglement
MIT Courses
MIT Quantum Computing Fundamentals XPro
The course lasts four weeks and costs $2,149. But if you’re serious about a career in Quantum Computing, there is no doubt that this is the best quantum computing course to give you the necessary skills to start your new career path.
⭐️ Rating: NA ⏳ Duration: 4 weeks 💲 Cost: $2,149 🔗 Link: MIT Quantum Computing Fundamentals
Upon completing the course, you’ll be able to:
- Describe the differences between quantum and classical computation.
- Discern potential performance gains of quantum vs. classical algorithms.
- Assess the business applications of quantum computation.
- Understand engineering challenges currently faced by developers of quantum computers.
- Become proficient with engineering requirements for quantum vs classical algorithm implementation.
- Discern the scientific limits of quantum algorithms for chemistry and optimization.
- Determine technical requirements for quantum computers to run realistically large quantum algorithms.
- Evaluate key technology requirements for quantum computers to be able to function properly.
- Understand the mathematical description of quantum states and basic quantum operations.
Other Resources
On top of these courses there are a couple of websites that can help you learn about quantum computing:
This website is run by a team of researchers who have been working on quantum computing for decades. They provide a lot of information about what goes into the making of a quantum computer, as well as how one might be used in the future.
How to self learn Quantum Computing
This article gives you a basic idea of Quantum Computing, where you can get started, books, YouTube channels and Podcast recommendations related to Quantum Computing.
The courses outlined in this list hope to introduce the concept of quantum computing, its possibilities for development and the solutions it can bring in the future. Pick the one that works for you and start building a career in the world of quantum computing.
Sources: https://www.amarchenkova.com/posts/best-quantum-computing-courses-online https://victorytale.com/best-quantum-computing-courses/ https://thequantuminsider.com/2020/01/07/quantum-computing-course/ https://quantumcomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/2667/currently-what-are-the-best-structured-courses-available-online-on-quantum-comp https://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-good-free-online-courses-on-quantum-computing-I-have-background-knowledge-in-both-programming-C-and-basic-mathematical-physics https://quasa.io/media/10-best-online-quantum-computing-courses-for-2022
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