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 on the basis of 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. Their work includes the development and application of a welding technique and its equipment, and the creation of a fire-fighting system for a large seaplane. Universities in other countries offer 'industrial PhDs', for which students work closely with a company, but many...
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