Doctoral education is expanding faster than ever, yet its outcomes remain misaligned with real-world needs. Across OECD nations, the number of research doctorates has risen sharply over the past decade. About 25% increase in doctoral attainment has been reported across OECD countries between 2014–2019 (OECD analyses; Sarrico 2022 review).  India now awards about 24,000 PhDs annually (AISHE 2020), ranking fourth globally, while total doctoral degrees worldwide reach roughly 277,000 each year. Despite this growth, many graduates face limited academic opportunities and unclear pathways beyond universities.

The PhD must evolve from a publication-driven credential to an engine of innovation and social change. Ten critical and urgent reforms in PhD system are oulined here.

1. Replacing monographic theses with project-based doctorates that deliver measurable outcomes.

2. Abolishing rigid publication quotas.

3. Mandating cross-sector placements with industry, government and NGOs.

4. Establishing community research hubs for local problem-solving.

5. Tightening supervisor to student ratios (from ~8:1 to ~3:1) for better and meaningful supervision.

6. Enabling public crowdfunding of research priorities, involving civil society into the system.

7. Mandatorily creating flexible post-PhD careers beyond tenure tracks.

8. Fostering team-based, multidisciplinary doctorates, India needs it the most.

9. Ensuring financial security for PhD candidates, a universal basic income can be introduced. 

10. Requiring each PhD to lead a social or technological enterprise with real-world impact.

Such reforms respond directly to labour-market realities. In many OECD countries, 20–35% of doctorate holders now work in industry, while the share employed in higher education is slowly declining. Yet training models remain largely academic in design. A new framework that rewards societal engagement, translational research and entrepreneurial outcomes would better align doctoral education with global development goals.

Reform will face institutional resistance and resource gaps, but pilot programmes can test viability. The PhD system of the future must produce innovators, policy shapers and social entrepreneurs, not just scholars. Aligning doctoral training with measurable public value is not merely desirable; it is essential for the next century of scientific and human progress.