Quantum mechanics curriculum in the U.S.: Quantifying the instructional time, content taught, and paradigms used

Abstract

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection in Artificial Intelligence Tools in Physics Teaching and Physics Education Research.] Quantum mechanics is an integral course for physics students. An understanding of quantum concepts is imperative for enrollment in physics graduate programs, participating in research within physics fields, and employment with companies developing quantum technologies. This study analyzes 188 U.S. research-intensive institutions’ course catalogs to determine the role and extent of quantum mechanics in their undergraduate physics programs. All of the institutions required one course on quantum concepts, 92% required two courses, and half required three. Among institutions with complete class data (n=56), the quantum curriculum was analyzed using course syllabi. The mean number of classroom hours spent on quantum concepts was 63.5 h with a standard deviation of 28.1 h. The most commonly taught themes in the quantum curriculum were the equation and three-dimensional quantum mechanics. However, the Stern-Gerlach experiment was only included in 28% of the course outlines. Despite current efforts to promote a spin-first approach, this study found the traditional position-first approaches were still more common as they were used by 73.7% of instructors.