Chicago State University Launches CQuEST Center, Opening Pathways to Careers at the Frontier of the Quantum Era

IBHE-Authorized Center Unifies CSU’s Quantum Credentials, Research, and Community Programs — with Direct Link to Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP)

Chicago, IL — Chicago State University (CSU) proudly announces the launch of its CSU Quantum Education, Science and Technology Center (CQuEST), an Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)-authorized hub that brings together the university’s quantum research, credentials, and workforce programs under a single, coordinated center on Chicago’s South Side.

CQuEST is the next step in a deliberate strategy CSU has built for over a decade. In December 2025, CSU was the first Illinois public university to earn IBHE approval for quantum and semiconductor workforce credentials and laid the initial groundwork by launching degree and certificate programs, forging research partnerships, and connecting students to paid internships through the NSF-funded Mic2ExL initiative.

The new CQuEST Center formalizes that foundation into a coordinated effort, giving students, researchers, and community partners a clear, unified home for everything CSU is doing in quantum science. Programs are open to current students, incoming freshmen, adult learners, and career-changers across three credentials: the Quantum Information Science & Engineering (QISE) Certificate, the Semiconductor Technology and Manufacturing Certificate, and the QISE Minor.

"Chicago State University has always believed that excellence and access are not mutually exclusive and the CQuEST Center is proof of that belief in action," said President Zaldwaynaka "Z" Scott. "We did not wait for the quantum economy to arrive — we built the foundation, established the credentials, and forged the partnerships to ensure our students are ready to lead in it. This is a center built for the world-changing careers of the future, on behalf of the students who deserve, and are excited, to define it."

A key driver of the Center’s reach is CSU’s founding educational partnership with the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a first-of-its-kind public-private research and development facility under development less than five miles from campus. Through that partnership, CQuEST students have priority access to facilities, mentorship, and career pathways with national laboratories, startups, and global technology firms, in a sector that has seen a 180% increase in job postings since 2020 and is projected to need more than 100,000 new professionals by 2030.

"CQuEST gives our students something powerful: a clear, structured path from the classroom into one of the most consequential industries of our time," said Dr. Valerie Goss, Director of the CSU Quantum Education, Science and Technology Center. "With the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park so close to campus, that path leads directly to the facilities, the researchers, and the companies building the quantum ecosystem. At CSU, student success is ensuring the diverse leaders of tomorrow are ready for the future. And this is what that looks like."

Beyond credentialed programs, CQuEST extends CSU’s quantum work into the wider community through summer science programs for high school students, dual enrollment coursework, K–12 educator support, and the Elevate 17 collaboration with Chicago Public Schools. For more information, visit csu.edu/quantum.

About the CSU Quantum Education, Science and Technology Center (CQuEST)

CQuEST is Chicago State University’s hub for education, research, and workforce development in Quantum Information Science and Engineering, with an emphasis on quantum biosensing and quantum pharmaceuticals. Authorized by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, CQuEST coordinates CSU’s growing quantum and microelectronics ecosystem on Chicago’s South Side. For more information, visit csu.edu/quantum.

About Chicago State University

Chicago State University, founded in 1867, is the oldest public university in the Chicago Metropolitan area. The University’s four colleges offer over 60 undergraduate and graduate degree-granting and non-degree programs. CSU is committed to equity in education, serving as the only U.S. Department of Education-designated four-year Predominantly Black Institution in Illinois. The University’s continued value to students and the State of Illinois is demonstrated by the ranking by a Harvard economist that places CSU in the top 4 percent of public and private universities nationwide in supporting its graduates’ economic mobility. The University serves as a prominent community anchor and civic space on the greater south side of Chicago by leading a multitude of athletic, educational, cultural, and recreational activities. Visit csu.edu.