Details

Now Accepting applications for Fall 2026 incoming cohort: https://quantumtech.uoregon.edu/application/. Priority deadline: Feb 16, 2026. Applications accepted on rolling basis after until spots are filled.

Details

The Applied Physics Master’s in Quantum and Nanotechnology is a 15 months Master’s program that aims to build experimental skills needed for the rapidly growing quantum industry (quantum computing / quantum sensing / quantum networking) and its adjacent Nanotechnology industries ( Microwave Devices, Integrated Photonics, MEMS/NEMS).

We believe graduate education should equip you with the skills that allow you to excel in your career: technical expertise, hands-on experience and professional skills (including communication, leadership, and teamwork). Students gain these skills through focused coursework and labs, integrated professional development, and a six-to-nine months paid internship which they complete as part of the program curriculum.

Unlike traditional master’s programs, students spend the majority of their time gaining hands-on expertise working with:

•     Nanofabrication (photolithography, deposition, etching, characterization and factorial design of experiments)
•     Microwave measurement equipment
•     Dilution cryostat cryogenics and benchmarking superconducting qubits
•     Free-space laser and atomic physics setups
•     Lab-integrated data science, factorial experiments, and Python scripting (instrumentation control and data analysis)

After students complete the campus portion of the curriculum in the first two quarters, the students find six or nine month paid internships  or alternatively could be paired with a faculty member where they get involved in a research project. After the completion of the program the students graduate with an M.S. degree in Applied Physics.

Schedule:







	
Fall quarter 1
Winter quarter
Spring quarter
Summer quarter
Fall quarter 2







	
 Physical Optics with Labs (4 credits)
Cryogenic and Quantum Measurements

(4 credits)
Internship (10 credits) 


Internship (10 credits)


Internship (10 credits)







	
Nanofabrication

(4 credits)
Optical Quantum Lab

(4 credits)
 OR 





	
RF and Low-noise Measurements

(4 credits)
Industry Projects in Quantum and Nanotechnology

(4 credits)
Physics Behind Quantum Computing 

(4 credits) -- If not doing internship







You can find details for all the required courses for the program here: Courses.

Background:

The University of Oregon pioneered the development of internship-based M.S. programs starting in 1998.  The goal of these programs is to provide real-world knowledge, skills, and experience that allows students to excel in launching their professional career working in industrial research laboratories. Other existing internship-based MS programs include the Knight Campus Graduate Internship (tracks in: semiconductors, optics, polymers, bioinformatics and sensors), the Advanced Materials Analysis and Characterization, and the Electrochemistry Masters Internship programs. All these programs have exceptionally high rates of internship and job placement (> 98%).

How to apply:

Detailed description how to apply can be found at our Application page. We expect to open the admissions portal for Fall 2026 in the October with applications Priority / early decision deadline February 16th, 2026. Applications will be accepted also after February 16th on a rolling basis until spots in the program are filled.  Please check back the program website in the Fall for applications instructions. Interested applicants please email the program director Prof. Nik Zhelev at nzhelev@uoregon.edu to discuss application process and further details about the program.

Tuition cost:

Tuition cost for 2025 – 2026 is expected to be $649 per credit hour. There is no difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition. The program consists of total of 48-54 credit hours with an expected tuition cost (based on incoming class of 2024 rates) of $31,152-$35,046.  Typical external internship compensation for two or three terms (6-9 months) is expected in majority of cases to fully offset the tuition cost*. 

Detailed breakdown of the costs can be found at: https://tuition.uoregon.edu/tuition-fees/graduate. Please select Graduate (Arts & Sciences, Physics Masters–Quantum Tech Masters Intern) from the drop-down menu. Note: UO also charges fees in addition to the tuition cost, however, the fees are reduced during the off-campus (internship) portion of the program (see more at https://tuition.uoregon.edu/tuition-fees/fees#campus).

*Internship placements are not guaranteed. Students will be provided mentoring and professional guidance in their job/internship search. The internship/job compensation is negotiated directly between student and company. 

Please consult https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans for information regarding federal student loans and http://financialaid.uoregon.edu or 541-346-3221 for information about conventional financial aid.

Internship placements for Fall 2024 cohort:

  • Air-Force Research Lab (Rome, NY) (9 month)
  • Rigetti Computing (Fremont, CA) (6 month)
  • Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (Okinawa, JP) (3 month), University of Oregon – Alemán Group (3 month), French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) (Saclay, FR) (3 month)
  • University of Oregon – Zhelev Group (6 month)