General Objectives of the Course

This course introduces the foundations of quantum computing to students and
professionals in the health sciences, starting from a familiar entry point: magnetic resonance. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: (1) understand the concepts of spin, superposition and entanglement, grounded in the physics of NMR; (2) explain the conceptual leap from the spin of biological tissue to the qubit as a unit of computation; (3) identify the main applications of quantum computing in healthcare — drug discovery, genomics, medical imaging, clinical optimization, and cryptography of sensitive data; (4) distinguish the current state of the technology from medium-term promises, critically reading news and literature in the field; (5) recognize pathways to deepen their knowledge at the intersection of health and quantum technologies.

Admission Requirements

Students in NON STEAM areas or bachelor´s in NON STEAM areas.

Candidates should check the admission requirements available on this site, in addition to the information provided here.

Mode of Study

E-learning

Teaching / Evaluation language(s)

Portuguese

Examination Regulations, Assessment and Grading

The certificate of qualification is awarded based on: effective attendance of at least 80% of the session and completion of a short final evaluation questionnaire, which includes items of self-assessment of acquired competencies and overall course appreciation.

Qualitative evaluation, in a scale of Aproved/Reproved.

Learning Objectives and Intended Skills

By the end of the course, students should be able to: explain, in their own words and through accessible analogies, what distinguishes a qubit from a classical bit, drawing on the spin intuition built from NMR; relate concepts of quantum physics (superposition and entanglement) to phenomena already familiar from the clinical context; identify areas of healthcare where quantum computing is a candidate to generate impact, and formulate critical questions about its feasibility; critically assess news, popular science articles, and scientific literature on quantum applications in medicine, distinguishing hype from evidence; communicate, in multidisciplinary settings, with professionals from technical fields (physics,
engineering, computer science) on quantum topics relevant to healthcare.

Qualification Requirements and Regulations

Academic Regulation of the University of Coimbra