Finding Theses and Dissertations
Is it in the UW Libraries' Collection?
Most Masters' and PhD theses from the University of Washington are divided
by subject in the
UW Libraries, and can be searched using the
UW
Libraries Catalog. This database of almost 2 million titles lists the
library unit, location within that unit, and whether the item is currently
checked out.
Cataloged theses are also listed on the Engineering Library New
Books List the week they become available. Note: It generally takes from
6 months to a year from the date of submittal for a dissertation or thesis to be added
to the UW
Libraries Catalog and be made available for check out. If you are seeking a
UW thesis that is not listed in the catalog, please contact us by email (englib@u.washington.edu), and
we will rush the item through the cataloging process.
- Theses may be browsed by subject in the UW
Libraries Catalog by using the genre/form browse lists. Theses are given
genre/form headings similar to the following examples.
- Theses--Civil Engineering
- Theses--Computer Science
- Theses--Electrical Engineering
- Theses--Mechanical Engineering
- Theses may also be browsed in the Engineering General Stacks.
Theses are assigned call numbers according to their subject area.
Most Engineering theses can be found in the Engineering Library with
the following call numbers:
| Subject | Call # |
|---|
| Aeronautics and Astronautics | TL 507 |
| Applied Mathematics | QA 3 |
| Civil Engineering | TA 7 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | QA 76 |
| Mechanical Engineering | TJ 7 |
| Electrical Engineering | TK 7 |
| General Engineering | TA 153 |
| Materials Science and Engineering | TN 7 |
| Scientific and Technical Communication | Q 223 |
How do I format my Thesis?
See the Graduate School's
Style and Policy Manual for
Theses and Dissertations
How do I get a thesis that is not held by the UW Libraries?
If the thesis that you are looking for is not in the UW Libraries
collection, you can:
- Order directly from Dissertation Abstracts. The Dissertation Abstracts (UW Restricted.) is an index of theses produced at North American Institutions.
- Request to have the item borrowed from another institution through
UWorld Express.
Note: Many libraries do not lend their theses via interlibrary borrowing and the only way to obtain them is to purchase them directly from Dissertation Abstracts.
- Check the Orbis Cascade Alliance
catalog to see if the thesis or dissertation is available at another Washington or Oregon academic library. Orbis Cascade Alliance borrowing privileges are limited to current UW students, faculty and staff.
- If you are looking for an Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) theses, it may be available online. Go to M.I.T. These and E-Theses Online. While this is not a complete collection, more are added all the time. Included items are theses which have previously been requested and scanned by the M.I.T. library's document services.
Questions or comments?
Send them to the Engineering Library:
englib@u.washington.edu
Last modified: Tuesday September 28, 2004
