UW Libraries Search: Theses and Dissertations

1. To search for theses and dissertations by subject from the University of Washington, go to the Advanced Search option on the UW Libraries homepage.

2. In Advanced Search, select "in subject" from the drop-down menu, and "is (exact)" from the second drop-down menu. Type "theses [subject/department]" into the search field. For example, if you are interested in finding theses from the History department, you would type "theses history" into the search box and then click Search.

3. The search results will list all master’s and doctoral theses completed at the UW for that subject. 

• When searching 'theses' in the UW library catalog, this term returns both master's theses and doctoral dissertations. 
• Theses can be available online, as print copies, or in both formats. 
  • For the most complete listing of UW theses and dissertations that are archived online, visit the ResearchWorks Archive. There may be a digital copy of a thesis even if it does not appear in UW Libraries Search, particularly in the case of older theses.
  • Since 2012, all theses/dissertations are only available in online format.
• You can confirm that the item you are looking for is a thesis in several ways. If it is a print thesis, the location information may confirm you are looking at a thesis. You can also click on the Item Details to look at the subject and publisher information for further confirmation.