Quantum 101 is a four-course professional certificate taught by QuTech at Delft University of Technology. The courses cover qubits, hardware, algorithms, error correction, and quantum internet protocols.

It is written for someone with no prior quantum course. The mathematics is in the syllabus: Dirac notation, state vectors, and tensor products.

What you’ll learn

  • The scientific principles behind qubits, quantum superposition, and quantum entanglement - developed from first principles rather than stated as axioms
  • How quantum information is mathematically represented using Dirac notation, state vectors, and tensor products
  • Multiple physical implementations of qubits: superconducting transmons, trapped ions, silicon spin qubits, and photonic approaches - and how their trade-offs compare
  • How a large-scale quantum processor is architected, controlled, and operated at a system level
  • Quantum error correction: why it is necessary, how stabiliser codes work, and what the surface code requires in terms of physical qubit overhead
  • Micro-architectures, compilers, and quantum assembly languages that bridge hardware and algorithms
  • The quantum internet: entanglement distribution, quantum repeaters, quantum key distribution, and network protocol design
  • The current state of the art and what milestones remain on the path to fault-tolerant useful quantum computation

Course structure

The Quantum 101 programme comprises four courses taken sequentially:

Course 1 - The Quantum Internet and Quantum Computers: How Will They Change the World? A conceptual introduction requiring no mathematics, accessible to any learner. Covers the principles and promises of quantum computing and the quantum internet.

Course 2 - Fundamentals of Quantum Information The mathematical treatment of qubits, gates, circuits, and entanglement using Dirac notation. Introduces tensor products, Bell states, no-cloning, teleportation.

Course 3 - The Hardware of a Quantum Computer Physical implementations, decoherence, control electronics, and comparison of hardware platforms.

Course 4 - Architecture, Algorithms, and Protocols The system software stack: quantum algorithms, error correction, micro-architectures, compilers, and quantum internet protocols.

Each course runs at six to eight hours per week. The full certificate typically takes four to six months at a steady pace.

Who is this for?

  • Professionals in technology, engineering, or science who want a university-taught sequence
  • Graduate students taking a structured course alongside their research
  • Career changers aiming at roles in quantum software, hardware, or policy
  • Anyone who wants a graded professional certificate
  • Managers and technical leads who have to judge a quantum computing proposal

Prerequisites

Course 1 requires no mathematical background whatsoever. Courses 2, 3, and 4 require increasing mathematical sophistication: linear algebra (vectors, matrices, complex numbers) for course 2, basic physics intuition for course 3, and all of the above for course 4.

Brilliant’s Linear Algebra and Complex Numbers courses provide good preparation for courses 2 and beyond. Reference materials are provided throughout the programme.

Hands-on practice

Problem sets across the four courses include:

  • Quantum circuit construction and algebraic analysis
  • Mathematical derivations of protocol steps (teleportation, BB84)
  • Physical parameter calculations (T1, T2, gate fidelity estimates)
  • Programming exercises using Python tools in the QuTech software stack
  • Compiler exercise: transpiling a circuit to match a specific hardware connectivity

Certificate track assessments include graded problem sets for each course and a final assessment. Some exercises connect to QuTech’s own Quantum Inspire platform.

Why take this course?

Quantum 101 from Delft is the gold standard for serious quantum computing education online. The instructors publish in Nature and Science - this is not a course where someone read a textbook and made slides.

The four-course structure provides genuine depth rather than surface familiarity. After completing it, you will be able to read quantum computing research papers with comprehension, evaluate hardware announcements critically, and participate meaningfully in technical conversations about the field.

If you want to work in quantum computing - in research, software development, hardware engineering, or policy - this programme provides the credentials and knowledge that employers and collaborators recognise. Nothing else online comes close in terms of the combination of rigor, credibility, and accessibility.

Practise the concepts from this course with these hands-on tutorials:

Topics covered

Enrol in this course

Quantum 101: Quantum Computing & Quantum Internet is $333 on edX, at beginner level, and runs 6-8 hours per week. A certificate is included.

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