A PhD is usually pursued by individuals with definite field of academic interest. The PhD is the highest degree any student can obtain in any field of study. To obtain a PhD degree, the student needs to submit a thesis based on a research in the chosen field. This is constant regardless of what country, university and field of study. Also, students need to have Master’s degree. Some universities however grant access for students to study for PhD right off the back of their bachelor’s degree for certain courses. It would take about 3 to 5 years of full time study and 6 years in part time studies in terms of duration to complete a PhD degree with a total of about 30 hours’ credit hours. Originally, PhD requires close supervision on campus but the introduction of distance learning has changed this norm.

Countries such as China have very good study packages in forms of scholarships and living stipends from the government of China in institutions such as the Shanghai Jiao tong University. This adds to the list of reasons why many students prefer to have their professional studies in China, another being that there is an increased demand for students who have graduated from reputable Chinese institutions and have certificates to show for it. They are considered world class. For PhD in Mechanical engineering, students are required to finished a research theory and defend it in their final semester.