// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA

Europe should adapt, not copy, China’s practical PhD

Published: 09/01/2026, 12:00 AM

Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar The Careers feature on China’s product-based PhDs (see Nature 655, 1349–1351; 2026) explores an experiment worth studying. Its lesson for the European Union is not that a thesis-free PhD is superior, but that doctoral work can be redesigned around real-world problems at scale. Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Graduating without a thesis: meet the people getting ‘practical’ PhDs in China First ‘practical PhDs’ awarded in China — for products rather than papers NSF rolls out ‘industry PhD’ programme — joining a global trend What’s your lab’s archetype? The answer could inform how you use AI