Finding Theses and Dissertations: Overview

A guide to finding theses and dissertations

Introduction

Due to uneven coverage in the catalog and databases, as well as multiple possible library locations for these items, searching for dissertations and theses can be complicated. If you find yourself stuck, or if you just want to talk to a librarian about your search, please Contact Us.

Dissertation - Presents original research and is written as part of the requirements for obtaining a doctorate.
Thesis - Presents original research and is written as part of the requirements for obtaining a master's degree.
Master's Paper - Some master's programs at UNC do not have an official "thesis" but rather require a major paper or report.
Undergraduate Honors Thesis - Written and defended by Honors Carolina undergraduate students in order to graduate with Honors or Highest Honors.

Searching for Theses and Dissertations

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
Indexes US dissertations from 1861 with full text available from 1997; masters theses covered selectively including some full text. Citations for dissertations from 1980 include 350-word abstracts, while masters' theses from 1988 have 150-word abstracts. Selectively covers dissertations from Great Britain and other European universities for recent years.

In addition to this database, the full text of the majority of UNC theses and dissertations from 2006, and all beginning in 2008, are freely available electronically from the UNC Library: Dissertations | Theses
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
Coverage: 1861 to present
Dissertations & Theses @ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Dissertations & Theses@University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides indexing and some full text access to dissertations completed here at Chapel Hill and submitted to the Dissertations Abstracts database.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
Coverage: 1920s to present
UNC Electronic Theses
Full text of the majority of UNC theses and dissertations from 2006, and all beginning in 2008, are freely available electronically.
Access: No restrictions.

There are also 2 published lists of UNC-Chapel Hill theses and dissertations covering up to 1960, both arranged by department, type of degree, and year, with author indexes:

Godfrey, James L. The Graduate School: Dissertations and Theses. Chapel Hill, 1947.

(Davis Service Desk Z5055.U5 N853)

N.C. University Library. Humanities Division. Graduate School Dissertations and Theses, First Supplement: 1946-59.

(Davis Service Desk Z5055.U5 N853 Suppl.)

Open Access Dissertation Searches (Freely Available)

Open Access Theses and Dissertations Project (OATD) Free to search; results specific to Electronic Theses and Disstetations (EDTs). Results limited to freely accessible, full-text ETDs.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) Free to search and results limited to theses and dissertations. Results link to a mix of types of access to theses/dissertations.