“Chinese PhD students in clinical medicine can graduate without a thesis — more degrees to follow”

Key points

• China expands graduation routes to include practical achievements for clinical medicine degrees.
• Pilot introduced in 2023, first practical PhD graduate Tie Dazhao developed AI-aided spine analysis.
• Policy draft released Oct 22 outlines standards for professional degrees to be assessed by practical work.
• Universities may design their own requirements; uniform standards remain a major challenge.
• Education officials expect broader adoption across fields like translation, agriculture, accounting and arts.