The new subject catalog for graduate education recently released by China’s educational authorities indicates practice-oriented education in the country has entered a new stage of development. The planned launch of Doctor of Translation and Interpreting (DTI) marks a new breakthrough in the domain of graduate education. A good top-design should be followed with effective and concrete measures. Unlike master’s degree education in both academic and practice-oriented directions, DTI must be designed together by industrial and professional authorities, industrial associations and universities working in close cooperation. This process should begin as soon as possible to clarify how to offer DTI courses, who should be the teachers for such courses and how to ensure the quality of such programs since this is key to meeting the needs of national development.