Practical Ph.D. in China: A quantum step towards innovation and Scientific Development II :
Dr. Syed Mehboob
Senior Business and Political Analyst
http//: www.thenewslark.com
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Practical PhDs are part of the Chinese government’s broader education reforms, which started in 2010, to cultivate “elite engineers” to boost innovation. In 2022, the government instructed top-tier universities to team up with major companies to set up graduate colleges for engineers. A law passed in 2024 allows universities to let master's and PhD students graduate on the basis of practical achievements. At present, only students in engineering-related subjects are eligible for this no-thesis arrangement.
The program aims to create the next generation of interdisciplinary talent with synergistic skills. China has launched a high-level pilot program allowing elite doctoral students to pursue a master's degree in a separate field concurrently, a strategic move aimed at cultivating a new generation of "interdisciplinary innovators".
The State Council Academic Degrees Committee unveiled the scheme on Dec 29 2025, to address the growing demand for talent capable of tackling complex, cross-boundary challenges in science, technology, and industry.
Participating universities must base their programs on disciplines with "significant advantages" and interdisciplinary platforms. The two degree-granting disciplines should generally both have doctoral conferring authority, with the primary doctoral discipline expected to be among the nation's top tiers.
Universities must develop detailed implementation and talent cultivation plans, subject them to evaluation by a panel of at least seven experts.
Curriculum design must meet the core requirements of both degrees while emphasizing multidisciplinary knowledge and enhancing students' interdisciplinary research capabilities. The master's research area should intersect with and support the doctoral research. Universities are encouraged to leverage interdisciplinary centers for student guidance and management.
A critical feature is a built-in streamlining or exit mechanism. Students who fail to meet doctoral requirements or voluntarily withdraw can apply for the master's degree if eligible. Those falling short of the dual master's requirements may still receive recognition for completed coursework.
The program primarily targets current doctoral students through a secondary selection process, focusing on those with the capacity and foundational aptitude for an additional master's. Students retain their original doctoral enrollment status. They must produce separate theses or practical achievements for each degree, receiving the master's degree concurrently with or after the doctorate.
Quality oversight is strict. Universities must conduct mid-term evaluations in the third year and final assessments in the fifth year, and publish the results. The national committee will monitor quality dynamically and can sanction or revoke degree-granting rights for underperformers. An official from the Ministry of Education's department of degree management and graduate education said that the pilot initiative adheres to a "small and refined" approach. A limited number of projects will be established by relevant universities in a well-organized manner, using interdisciplinary platforms, cross-disciplinary innovation teams, and research projects. The program targets a select group of doctoral students who can pursue a relevant master's degree while completing their PhD.
Among the early movers is Shandong University, which established its interdisciplinary center in March 2024. The center comprises 40 cross-disciplinary supervisory teams, each with 3 to 4 faculty members, focusing on 23 major interdisciplinary problem areas. The purpose is to break down barriers between schools and design interdisciplinary training programs and courses. The center enrolled its first 125 doctoral candidates in September 2024. From this cohort, 10 students voluntarily opted into the dual-degree pilot. Many scientific problems require interdisciplinary solutions. For example, zero-magnetic medicine needs knowledge from both medicine and engineering. The current disciplinary divisions are man-made, but real-world problems know no disciplinary boundaries. While the workload is more challenging, the broader knowledge base provides a significant long-term career advantage. It doesn't necessarily lengthen study time, but it expands job opportunities.
As China's doctoral student population continues to grow — reaching 676,300 enrolled and 97,200 graduates in 2024, according to Ministry of Education data — experts said the structural need for interdisciplinary talent becomes ever more acute. The pilot is a significant institutional push. The existing academic system centers on single disciplines. This policy turns encouragement of interdisciplinary work into an actionable responsibility for universities, helping align resources and drive reform, he told China Newsweek. Early pilots focus mainly on science, technology, engineering, and math combinations, as interdisciplinary work in the humanities may not require formal dual degrees, and humanities teaching should be integrated into the whole process of higher education. The key to success, experts believe, lies in selecting the right students — those genuinely driven by interest or research needs. To prevent the new PhD-master's pilot from yielding undesirable outcomes, experts have stressed stringent selection, rigorous quality monitoring, and clear exit mechanisms.
Last month, Zheng Hehui gave an oral defence of his PhD in civil engineering at Southeast University in Nanjing, China. But Zheng had not written a thesis. Instead, he talked about a product he had developed: a set of Lego-like blocks, made with reinforced steel, that fit together to form a bridge pylon.
Zheng is among the first cohort of Chinese doctoral students to be assessed based on practical achievements that lead to new products, techniques, projects, and installations. His invention is being used in a huge cable-stayed rail and road bridge built across the Yangtze River.
Since September, at least 11 such ‘practical PhD’ students, all engineers, have obtained their doctoral degrees through this route. Practical PhDs are part of the Chinese government’s broader education reforms, which started in 2010, to cultivate ‘elite engineers’ that can help boost innovation in the country. In 2022, the government instructed top-tier universities to team up with major companies to set up graduate colleges for engineers.
A law passed in 2024 allows universities to let master’s and PhD students graduate based on practical achievements. At present, only students in engineering-related subjects are eligible for this no-thesis arrangement.
The programme is part of China’s effort to build a talent pool for key and emerging industries, such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, to drive innovation. Over the past three years, 50 graduate colleges for engineers have been established in China to bring the policy into practice.
This concept is itself innovative. If an engineer can point to an actual successful innovation, like the blocks used to build a bridge over the Yangtze River, why shouldn’t he get a Ph.D.? The title comes with additional prestige and is a real motivator, especially because they can patent their developments.
A PhD is about research. Of course, there are some other things - for example, in some universities you have to take classes because it is assumed that they help you with your research. .