At Oregon State, our middle/upper-division quantum mechanics content is spread across several shorter courses, totaling approximately one academic year. Each course listed below has a link to a sample syllabus with links for classroom activities, reading assignments and other resources, and homework problems.
- Paradigm: Quantum Fundamentals--A Spins-first approach covering the postulates of quantum mechanics in the context of spin 1/2 and spin 1 systems. This course ends with a short introduction to wave functions and particle-in-a-box. The content includes the first four chapters of McIntyre's: Quantum Mechanics, a Paradigms Approach.
- Paradigm: Central Forces--The quantum mechanics portions of this course include a particle confined to a ring and a sphere, leading up to the unperturbed hydrogen atom. A description of the separate units of this course can be found here.
- Paradigm: Periodic Systems--Content includes the free particle and one-dimensional barriers before tackling periodic potentials as an introduction to solid state.
- Capstone: Quantum Mechanics
You may also be interested in these descriptions of the sequence of conceptual ideas in our quantum courses: