China is expanding a trial that lets selected postgraduate students in clinical medicine and four other professional fields earn degrees through practical achievements instead of traditional theses.
The State Council Academic Degrees Committee Office issued the policy on October 19. It covers professional master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical medicine, translation, agriculture, accounting and art. The policy does not remove thesis requirements for all postgraduate students.
The new option applies only to students seeking professional degrees. The reform will be introduced in stages. Under the approach, eligible students may seek a degree by presenting and defending practical work that meets requirements instead of a dissertation.
National committees are to set guidance for each field on what work is acceptable. They are also to say how the work should be assessed. Universities will then set their own procedures for choosing projects.
They will also set procedures for supervising students and evaluating their work. Students must complete the work themselves under supervision, or they must have led its main contribution. The policy also calls for safeguards to protect quality.
The expansion follows an engineering pilot in which more than 140 master’s and doctoral students had applied for degrees through practical achievements, according to China Daily. China’s 2024 Academic Degrees Law established the legal basis for either defending a thesis or defending practical achievements that meet set requirements. The new policy emphasizes that standards must be maintained.