Dissertations and Theses

Searching for dissertations or theses can help you determine your topic, understand the state of student research in a field, or find historic research.  Dissertations and theses can also be used for accreditation or other administrative needs. This guide offers resources and tips to locate full-text and citations of dissertations and theses at UVA and at other institutions in the US and internationally. 

Helpful definitions: 

Embargo: An embargo is a restriction placed on a piece of research work, such as a dissertation or thesis, that limits access to that work for a specific period of time. Authors embargo their work for many reasons, including restricting access to information related to a pending patent or other commercial application of research, avoiding violating privacy rights by disclosing sensitive data or other information, or other reasons. 

Find UVA dissertations and theses: 

1. Search in Virgo for a keyword: this may be your department, degree, or a more specific phrase. 
2. Filter your search by Resource Type: Theses
   • In Virgo, "theses" includes theses and dissertations. 
   • Theses and dissertations may be full-text in Libra, our institutional repository. This is most common for recent publications. If you are a current UVA student, staff, or faculty, you'll need to be on eduroam or on the VPN to read the document. Other patrons can read these documents on-site, unless under embargo. 
   • Older theses and dissertations are likely available only in print. Generally, these are available for circulation and InterLibrary Loan. 

Tips for dissertation and thesis research: 

• If you are searching for doctoral dissertations specifically, add "PhD" to your keywords. 
• Most, but not all, theses and dissertations are cataloged with the advisor(s) listed adjacent to the authors. Searching faculty names can be a productive way to find relevant theses and dissertations. 
• For students in STS, check the SEAS Thesis Portfolio Guide for specific information. 
• For specific assistance in your field of study, ask your Subject Librarian or check the Subject Guide for your area.
• If you have questions about how to search for or access a thesis or dissertation, chat with a librarian online for help.
• Need to reach the Libra team, who can offer information or guidance on UVA's institutional repository? Reach them at libra@virginia.edu. 

Theses and dissertations written by your relative who graduated from UVA: 

If your relative's thesis or dissertation is held in our collection, we will make a complimentary digital copy (PDF). This generally takes several weeks, and you will need to show proof of relation. Contact our Digital Production Group to request a scan.

If you are seeking additional information about your relative and their time at UVA, consult this guide on University of Virginia History and Research. The guide provides information on accessing our online, circulating, and archival materials to learn more about your relative(s) who attended or graduated from UVA. Please note that all materials are listed in Virgo; no additional dissertations or theses exist. 

Use these tools for non-UVA dissertations and theses, including US and international research and open access materials. 

Generally, dissertations and theses held at other institutions can be requested via InterLibrary Loan. If the document is not available for loan because it is under embargo or otherwise limited to that institution for use, our ILL team will let you know that they are not able to fill the loan. 

Note that the databases listed here are broad in their coverage. Other dissertation databases focused on publications from individual countries, in individual languages, or covering individual fields aren't included here. To find, for example, databases offering deep coverage of dissertations written in Korean or from Nordic institutions, etc, check the Subject Guide for your area or ask the Subject Librarian. 

These links are ordered by suggested use. 

Not all institutions index their dissertations and theses into larger databases such as ProQuest. An alternate research method to find these documents is to search within other institutional repositories directly. 

Some or most of the documents you find may be embargoed or otherwise not available to researchers from other institutions, or they may need to be viewed on-site. However, this can be a productive research method, especially for PhD students and candidates. 

To research in other institutional repositories, start by determining a list of other institutions that have similar degrees to yours. Locate the library website for these institutions, or google the institution name + institutional repository. Generally, you'll be able to search within the repository, or within the library catalog with a filter, to locate dissertations and theses in your field or topic.

If you have trouble, reach out to that institution via their online chat service or general email address.