In a groundbreaking shift for higher education, China has awarded its first 'practical PhDs,' where doctoral candidates earn their degrees by developing tangible products and innovations rather than submitting traditional theses. This reform, enabled by the 2024 Degree Law, targets engineering fields and aims to produce elite engineers capable of addressing real-world technological challenges. As China grapples with global tech competitions, particularly in semiconductors and AI, this model prioritizes practical outcomes over academic papers, potentially reshaping research publication norms by valuing deployed innovations over citation counts.

The initiative responds to longstanding critiques of China's PhD system, where an emphasis on publication volume fueled paper mills and plagiarism scandals. With over 97,000 PhDs awarded annually, the country now seeks quality through application, fostering breakthroughs that directly contribute to industries facing 'technological chokepoints.'

Historical Context: From Elite Engineers Plan to Practical PhDs

China's journey toward practical PhDs began with the 2010 National Excellence Engineer Training Program, designed to cultivate hands-on experts amid rapid industrialization. By 2022, the government mandated top universities to partner with enterprises, establishing 50 graduate colleges for engineers across 60 institutions and over 100 companies. These collaborations enrolled 20,000 students, yielding over 100 patents at Tsinghua University alone from 1,430 graduates.

The pivotal change came with the revised Degree Law, passed on April 26, 2024, and effective January 1, 2025. Replacing 1980s regulations, it explicitly allows engineering PhDs to graduate based on 'practical achievements'—prototypes, techniques, projects, or installations—without a dissertation. This aligns with national goals for self-reliance in strategic sectors like quantum computing and defense.

These reforms address a core mismatch: many engineering professors lack industry experience, leaving graduates strong in theory but weak in application. As Nanjing University's Li Jiang notes, 'There is a big gap between the theoretical knowledge they learn from books and the hands-on ability our society needs.'

The First Wave: Pioneering Graduates and Their Breakthrough Products

Since September 2025, at least 11 engineers have earned practical PhDs, with defenses accelerating into January 2026. Leading the charge is Zheng Hehui from Southeast University in Nanjing. Instead of a 100-page thesis, he defended Lego-like reinforced steel blocks that snap together to form massive bridge pylons. These are now deployed in the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge, a cable-stayed structure for rail and road traffic.

At Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), one of China's 'Seven Sons of National Defence,' Wei Lianfeng graduated in September 2025 with vacuum laser welding processes and specialized equipment. This innovation enhances precision manufacturing for nuclear and defense applications. Other trailblazers developed a fire-fighting system for large seaplanes, demonstrating scalability in aviation safety.

In the pilot's first year, 67 students applied for degrees via designs and case reports, signaling strong interest despite the small scale relative to China's PhD output.

Leading Institutions Driving the Practical PhD Model

• Southeast University (Nanjing): Home to Zheng Hehui's civil engineering innovation; emphasizes infrastructure solutions.
• Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT): Piloting in defense tech; Wei Lianfeng's welding tech highlights precision engineering.
• Tsinghua University (Beijing): Partners with 56 firms in 14 sectors; boasts 1,430 students and 100+ patents.
• Northwestern Polytechnical University (Xi'an): Collaborates with arms makers like China North Industries Group for national defense courses.

These 'Double First-Class' universities anchor 50 specialized colleges, blending academia with industry to tackle chokepoints.Research jobs in these hubs are booming for faculty bridging theory and practice.

Step-by-Step: Requirements and Evaluation for Practical PhDs

Earning a practical PhD demands rigorous proof of impact. Here's the process:

• Enrollment in Pilot Programs: Limited to engineering in strategic fields; dual mentors—one academic, one industry expert.
• Develop Prototype: Create a new product, technique, or system addressing real problems.
• Prove Scalability: Demonstrate real-life deployment, e.g., patents, industrial adoption, or installations.
• Oral Defense: Present to a mixed panel of scholars and engineers; no written thesis required.
• Assessment Criteria: Innovation level, practical value, and industry leap—harder than thesis grading, per experts.

This ensures outputs like Zheng's blocks aren't lab curiosities but bridge-builders.

Tackling Research Misconduct: Paper Mills in the Crosshairs

Traditional PhDs incentivized volume, spawning paper mills selling fabricated studies—over 10,000 global retractions in 2023 involved Chinese authors. Cash bonuses for papers created 'Paper Generals': high-publishers low on practice. The practical model sidesteps this by rewarding products, aligning with 2020 bans on misconduct funding and promotion reforms.

As HIT's Zong Yingying states, 'Many engineering problems are unsuitable for the thesis format... the solution lies solely in the technology itself.' For China's research ecosystem, this boosts credible outputs over quantity.

Stakeholder Views: Praise, Challenges, and Optimism

Experts laud the shift. Southeast's Guo Tong says it 'guides students to real research solving strategic problems.' Yet, Dalian University of Technology's Sun Yutao cautions: 'Much harder to evaluate a real-life product... or decide if it equates to an industry leap.'

Industry leaders welcome deployable talent; academics note risks if mentors lack depth. Overall, it's seen as vital for China's innovation edge amid US blockades.

Read the full Nature report on these perspectives.

Global Context: How China Leads While Others Experiment

Europe and US offer 'industrial PhDs' but retain theses. China's no-thesis model is bolder, contrasting publish-or-perish cultures. With China topping global papers since 2022, practical PhDs could redefine metrics—patents and deployments over citations. For aspiring researchers, this opens career paths blending academia and industry.

Implications for Research Publications and Higher Ed

This revolution challenges research publication news: fewer papers, but higher-impact innovations. Universities report surging patents; future rankings may weigh products. In China, it bolsters higher ed opportunities, attracting global talent to engineering PhDs.

Looking Ahead: Expansion and Challenges

With pilots succeeding, expect wider rollout, though pure sciences stay traditional. Challenges include standardization and quality assurance. Success could inspire global reforms, positioning China as innovation leader.

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