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In April 2025, a student named Zheng Hehui received his doctorate in civil engineering. He studied at Southeast University in Nanjing, China. His final exam was very different from a normal PhD defense. Usually, a student must write a huge thesis with thousands of pages of text. Zheng did not do this. Instead, he showed a physical object. He displayed a set of strong steel blocks. These blocks look like giant Lego pieces. They are designed to lock together with extreme precision. Together, they form a bridge pylon. This is the tall tower that holds up the main cables of a bridge.
Zheng is one of the first people in China to earn a "practical PhD." This new degree path values creating a useful product or working technology more than writing an academic paper.
This change marks a big shift in how China handles graduate education. The country currently produces the most PhD graduates in the world. Despite this high number, the government realized the old system did not always connect research to the real needs of industry and society. The new goal is to train scientists and engineers who can solve real-world problems directly. They want graduates who can build things, not just write about them.
In a typical PhD program, a student spends several years doing original research. They must then write a long dissertation, often hundreds of pages long. Experts review this document. The student must also defend it in a formal oral exam. For Zheng's practical PhD, the final product itself was the center of his defense.
His invention is a modular bridge pylon system. It uses prefabricated steel blocks that lock together precisely. This design allows for much faster and safer construction. Workers can assemble large sections of the bridge on the ground before lifting the entire structure into place. This method significantly reduces the need for dangerous work at high altitudes. Workers do not need to weld or assemble parts on a tower in the sky. During his defense, Zheng had to demonstrate the innovation, engineering principles, and practical value of his product. He explained this to a panel of professors and industry experts.
The practical PhD initiative is part of a broader effort by the Chinese Ministry of Education. The program started in several top engineering universities. It aims to break down the long-standing barrier between academic research and industrial application. For decades, Chinese PhDs have been highly skilled at theoretical work and publishing papers. However, critics have argued that this system did not always encourage work that leads to new technologies or successful companies.
"The traditional model has produced excellent scholars, but we also need innovators who can build things," said a professor familiar with the new program. "A student who creates a new medical device that saves lives has contributed knowledge that is just as valuable as a thesis on biomedical theory."
Students in these practical programs are still required to master advanced theoretical knowledge. Their work must show deep understanding and significant innovation. The key difference is the form of the final output. Instead of a bound paper, the final submission can be a new material, a software platform, a piece of advanced equipment, or a proven industrial process. The evaluation criteria focus on the product's originality, the difficulty of the technology, and its potential economic or social impact.
Supporters of the practical PhD highlight several advantages. First, this approach can speed up the process of getting inventions from the laboratory to the market. Students are thinking about patents, manufacturing, and user needs from the very beginning of their projects. Second, it makes PhD training more attractive to students who are hands-on builders and problem-solvers. These students may dislike purely theoretical writing. Third, it strengthens the ties between universities and companies. These companies often help fund and guide the projects.
However, the approach also faces challenges and some skepticism. Some academics worry that it could lower scholarly standards. They argue that the deep, systematic thinking required to write a comprehensive thesis is irreplaceable. There is also concern about how to fairly evaluate such diverse products. How can one compare the quality of a new chemical compound to a complex robotics system? Universities are developing new review panels that include both academics and senior engineers from industry to address this issue.
Beyond bridge engineering, students are pursuing practical PhDs in various fields. At another university, a doctoral candidate in environmental science is developing a compact, low-cost device. This device monitors river pollution in real-time. Their final submission will be a working prototype and data from field tests. It will not just be a paper describing the idea. In computer science, a student is creating an open-source software tool. This tool helps small manufacturers optimize their energy use. The code, its documentation, and case studies of its successful deployment will form the basis of the PhD award. These projects are often conducted in close partnership with companies or government agencies. These groups have a direct need for the solution.
While China's program is new and systematic, the idea of practice-based doctorates is not unique. Some European countries have similar "professional doctorates" in engineering and design. In the United Kingdom, the "Engineering Doctorate" has existed for years. It combines technical research with business management training. However, China's scale and the explicit national policy supporting this shift make it particularly significant.
Early signals from industry are positive. Technology and manufacturing companies express strong interest in hiring graduates from these practical programs. "We need people who can hit the ground running," said a manager at a Chinese construction firm. "Someone who has already built and tested a new thing has very valuable experience."
Students are also responding to this new opportunity. Many are drawn to the tangible outcome of their years of study. "Seeing something I designed being used in the real world is my motivation," said one doctoral candidate in robotics. "The prospect of writing a 200-page document that only a few people will read was much less appealing."
The introduction of the practical PhD in China is part of a global conversation about the purpose and format of the highest academic degree. As the demands of the economy change, educational systems must adapt. The traditional, research-intensive PhD will certainly continue. This is especially true in fields like fundamental physics, pure mathematics, and history. But the practical PhD offers an alternative route for applied sciences and engineering.
Observers will watch closely to see if these first graduates, like Zheng Hehui with his steel blocks, succeed in their careers. Their success will determine whether the practical PhD becomes a permanent and respected part of China's higher education landscape. If it works, it could inspire similar reforms in other countries. These countries are looking to make their advanced research more directly useful to society. The experiment represents a bet that practical creation and academic rigor are not opposites. They can be combined to train a new generation of innovators.