Programmes
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Get a good impression of what your study programme will look like.
In this programme, you build things. From week one, you work hands-on with quantum hardware, tackle real engineering questions, and write software that runs on actual quantum systems. The programme prepares you to work at the interface between quantum science and the engineering that makes it usable. For companies. For society. Right now. You choose one of three specialisations and develop the professional skills: project management, interdisciplinary collaboration, ethics, and communication. That makes you effective in the industry from day one.
You develop software for quantum computers and learn to apply quantum algorithms to real-world problems in logistics, finance, chemistry, and machine learning. You work with platforms such as IBM Quantum and SURF.
You work with light-based quantum technologies: photonic integrated circuits, optical quantum communication, and nanofabrication. Much of your lab work takes place at Fontys in Eindhoven, in the middle of Europe’s photonics ecosystem.
You develop and characterise the electronic hardware that makes quantum computers and sensors work: from cryogenic control circuits to qubit characterisation and CMOS integration.
Expect a study load of 40 hours per week, including 12 contact hours. The rest involves self-study through projects, research, and assignments. You will study across four universities of applied sciences, choosing one as your home institution. A lecturer from your home location will guide your projects. Most weeks involve one or two visits to partner universities, typically requiring 1.5 to 2.5 hours of travel each way.
The programme starts with two weeks of introductory activities across all four campuses: you visit every location, meet your fellow students, and get to know the Dutch quantum landscape. Depending on your background, you complete two out of three foundation courses in mathematics, physics, or programming. The phase closes with the Quantum Challenge project: in interdisciplinary small groups, you design and build a project around a quantum application and study the underlying quantum effect in the lab.
All students follow the same quantum core, which forms the foundation for your specialisation. You study the physics and software of quantum systems in three parallel courses: Quantum Hardware, Quantum Information and Algorithms, and the Quantum Design Project. In the Quantum Design Project, based at your home university, you tackle a real engineering question from a company or research group and follow the design cycle from project plan to presentation. The quantum core runs across Eindhoven, Amsterdam, and Delft.
After the core, you dive deeper into your chosen specialisation: Quantum Software, Quantum Photonics, or Quantum Electronics. Each consists of five courses combining theory, lab sessions, and projects. The courses are distributed across the four partner universities, each contributing their specific expertise. You build advanced knowledge in your specialisation while continuing to collaborate with students from other tracks.
You complete the programme with a graduation project at a company or research institute. You apply your knowledge and engineering skills to a real-world quantum challenge, following the full R&D cycle through to delivery. Your graduation supervisor is a lecturer from your home university.
For a detailed breakdown of each phase, see the bottom of this page.
Wondering what's to come after applying for this programme? Go over the entire admission process.
Each phase has its own character, from building your foundation to specialising in cutting-edge quantum technology. Below you find a detailed breakdown of every phase, including course content, locations, and what to expect.
Depending on your background, you complete two out of three foundation courses:
Quantum Software
Quantum Photonics
Quantum Electronics
Note: If you choose Fontys as your home location and specialise in Photonics or Software, much of your lab work is likely to take place in Eindhoven. The exact distribution depends on the number of students enrolled per location each year.
Alongside the technical content, a dedicated learning line runs through the full two years: Professional Skills. Through workshops, guest lectures, peer sessions, and excursions, you develop:
Excursions include visits to quantum companies and research institutes. Previous excursions have included SURF (one of the Netherlands’ new quantum computing platforms), TNO in Delft, Smart Photonics and V-TEC, and guest sessions from quantum industry partners including companies from the Photon Delta network.
Every student has a personal study advisor. A fixed point of contact throughout the full two years. You meet for at least half an hour per block (around one hour per semester) to discuss study progress, your choice of elective, and your internship. If you need more support at any point, more frequent contact is always possible.
For your projects and graduation, you are assigned a project coach: a lecturer at your home university who supervises your group directly. During the project phase, contact with your coach is more frequent and intensive.
Throughout the programme, peer learning is structural. Groups are deliberately mixed across disciplines and backgrounds, so you learn as much from your fellow students as from your lecturers. Feedback, from peers and teachers, is a continuous part of the process.
The teaching approach evolves as you progress: early on, lecturers take a more instructional role to build your knowledge base; later in the programme, they shift to coaching and guide you in solving complex problems independently.