Washington University Libraries
Skip navigation

Save Your Time! Ask Us


University Libraries

Search Library Pages

Other Search Options
Help! Reserves Interlibrary Loan Site Index Comments?

Research Help: Find Dissertations and Theses

Washington University Dissertations

Records for WU dissertations and theses can be found in the Catalog.
  • Search by Author, for example, Olson, Paul David
  • Search by Word, for example, phenotype plasticity and manihot
    or perhaps theses and manihot
  • Search by Subject will seem to work but it is not the best choice because current dissertations do not have Subject Headings assigned. Search by Word instead.
  • Search by Department, by using a Title search beginning with the word Theses....
    This approach can be useful, but specific dissertations may not be where you expect. This indexing is based on what the author put on the title page, so entries are not always consistent or correct. For example, a dissertation done in the Program in Developmental Biology may be under "Theses. Developmental Biology" or may be under "Theses. Biology and Biomedical Sciences." Here are a few other examples:
    Theses. Bio...
    Theses. Engin...
    Theses. English...
    Theses. Polit...
  • Search by Adviser in Dissertations & Theses @ Washington University in St. Louis. Click on "Adviser" search and type a professor's last name in the search box. More info This database also displays full text (pdf) for WU dissertations for WU users, 1996+ as requested. (You may also search by author or keyword in this database.) Search by advisor is not available in our Catalog.

Preparing WU dissertations

WU Libraries Thesis Preparation Guidelines

Searching and requesting Non-WU dissertations

WU does not collect many non-WU dissertations. If they are in the libraries, they will be searchable in the Catalog.

Dissertations & Theses (ProQuest) (1861 - ) The complete range of academic subjects appearing in dissertations accepted at accredited institutions since 1861. Abstracts included from July 1980; abstracts for masters theses beginning Spring 1988. Updated monthly. More info.

Although Dissertations & Theses (Proquest) is the most comprehensive source, several other databases include information about dissertations in their particular subject areas.