US theses

Finding US theses

The Bodleian Libraries have purchased copies of some US theses. These are listed on SOLO, and may be ordered to a reading room for you to consult. 

Card catalogue  

Some American theses published before 1973 held by the Bodleian Libraries are not yet catalogued on SOLO. These holdings can be found in the Foreign Dissertations Catalogue card index. This catalogue is unfortunately not currently available to readers. To access material in this catalogue, speak to library staff at the Main Enquiry Desk in the Lower Reading Room of the Bodleian Old Library. 

Other finding aids

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global is a collection of 5 million citations and 2.5 million full-text works from thousands of universities all over the world. Full-text coverage spans from 1743 to the present, with citations dating back to 1637.

Library Hub Discover

You can use Library Hub Discover to search the online catalogues of some of the UK’s largest university research libraries to see if the thesis has been purchased by another UK library. These theses may be obtained by current members of Oxford University via inter-library loan.

EBSCO Open Dissertations

EBSCO Open Dissertations provides a single search interface to locate open-access theses and dissertations from hundreds of universities, mostly in the UK and US. The full-text of theses may be downloaded by following the link to the institutional repository where the thesis is held.

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)

Use the NDLTD to search over 6 million electronic theses and dissertations from around the world.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

Use OATD to find open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world.

Individual universities

You can also go to individual US universities' sites for their online theses repositories.

Obtaining copies

British Library Document Supply Services have a collection of American theses from the 1950s to 1999. You can search for a thesis on British Library On Demand and request a digital or paper copy. If the thesis is not held by the British Library, it may be considered for purchase. Enquiry desk staff will direct you to the relevant subject librarian.

You can purchase copies of filmed American theses (prices start at $41 for a digital download) via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. For dissertations dating from 1997 onwards the first 24 pages are available free online, usually including the contents and all or part of the introduction.

Copying from theses obtained on microfilm via interlibrary loan is not permitted.