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ERIC Number: EJ1462942
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2469-9896
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Quantum Mechanics Curriculum in the U.S.: Quantifying the Instructional Time, Content Taught, and Paradigms Used
Alexis Buzzell; Timothy J. Atherton; Ramón Barthelemy
Physical Review Physics Education Research, v21 n1 Article 010102 2025
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.
American Physical Society. One Physics Ellipse 4th Floor, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Tel: 301-209-3200; Fax: 301-209-0865; e-mail: assocpub@aps.org; Web site: https://journals.aps.org/prper/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A