harvard thesis archives

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Special Collections: Theses at the Frances Loeb Library

• Searching and Accessing Theses

Searching for GSD Theses

Accessing copies of gsd theses, searching for non-gsd theses.

• Writing your Thesis
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DASH  (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard) includes GSD theses submitted digitally as of Fall 2020 onwards. Any researcher can access and download, unless an embargo has been placed on it by the author.

HOLLIS (HarvardKey required) includes theses submitted between Fall 2012 and Fall 2020. A HarvardKey is required to access and download digital theses. Some theses during these years were still submitted in paper only (analog theses).

HOLLIS  also includes analog theses submitted from early-1900s to 2012. 

The  GSD History Collection  includes theses submitted in the 1930s and 1940s.

You can search by subject, location, author, or advisor. Add additional terms to focus your results. Try the searches below in HOLLIS and then try them in DASH .

• harvard graduate school design thesis coast* (for coast or coastal)
• harvard graduate school design thesis housing
• harvard graduate school design thesis beijing
• harvard graduate school design thesis Mori, Toshiko 
• harvard graduate school design thesis Rowe, Peter

Another way to search is by program, click on the links below to view HOLLIS records for theses from these programs:

• Master of architecture (MArch)
• Master of architecture in urban design (MAUD)
• Master of landscape architecture (MLA)
• Master of landscape architecture in urban design (MLAUD)
• Master of urban planning (MUP)
• Master of Design studies (MDes or MDesS)  

Thesis submission requirements and procedures change throughout the years and across academic departments. Because theses have not always been required  the library does not necessarily have a thesis for every GSD graduate. 

The library’s collection practices and cataloging for theses also change throughout the decades, so you may have to search differently depending on what you're looking for, or what period you are interested in.

• HOLLIS User Guide: Additional tips for refining your search to find resources. 
• HOLLIS FAQs: Answers to frequently asked questions about sea
• Contact us through Ask a Design Librarian .
• Request a Consultation .

GSD theses from Fall 2020 onwards can be accessed and downloaded primarily in  DASH , unless the author has requested an embargo on her thesis. They can also be accessed in  HOLLIS  and  ProQuest .

GSD theses submitted between Fall 2012 and Fall 2020 can be accessed and downloaded in HOLLIS by members of the Harvard community (with Harvard ID and key access), or from computers within our library for everyone else. We do not offer remote access to theses for unaffiliated users. We also do not lend out print theses through interlibrary loan. 

GSD theses submitted before 2012 can be accessed onsite (see Request a GSD Thesis below).

Researchers can view paper GSD theses on site by placing a Reading Room Request through  HOLLIS Special Request .

Items are placed on the Special Collections Reading Room hold shelf for 1 week, and researchers will receive an email to schedule an appointment to view the requested items. Researchers can also check the status of their request in HOLLIS Special Request . 

Paper theses do not circulate nor can be borrowed. Exceptions can be made for GSD faculty to use in a class. 

GSD theses  five years and older  from degree date that are in paper may be scanned or photographed by researchers on-site at no cost. If you can't come to the Special Collections Reading Room in person, a Copy Request can be placed through  HOLLIS Special Request . You will receive a fee estimate from Har vard Library Imaging Services.

Please note : Most theses submitted within the last five years and before Fall 2020  are digital and are available through HOLLIS to Harvard affiliates only, who can access and download these digital theses from there. The library does not provide PDF or printed versions for theses within the last five years. The few that are available only in paper from the last five years have slips indicating that they may not be copied.

In addition, theses submitted on or after the Fall of 2020 are available through ProQuest and DASH  globally, unless the author has requested an embargo.

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global ProQuest is a database that holds thousands of theses from Harvard and other institutions worldwide from 1997 through the present.
• Next: Writing your Thesis >>
• Last Updated: Nov 30, 2022 11:37 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/gsd/thesis

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For Harvard theses, dissertations, and prize winning essays, see our How can I find a Harvard thesis or dissertation ? FAQ entry.

Beyond Harvard, ProQuest  Dissertations and Theses G lobal database (this link requires HarvardKey login) i s a good place to start:

• lists dissertations and theses from most North American graduate schools (including Harvard) and many from universities in Great Britain and Ireland, 1716-present
•  You can get full text from Proquest Dissertations and Theses through your own institutional library or you can often purchase directly from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Express.  

Other sources:

Databases beyond ProQuest Dissertations & Theses:

Some out of copyright works (pre-1924) are available via large digital libraries. Search online for the title.

Networked Digital Library of Electronic Theses and Dissertations ' Global Search scans participating international libraries

The Center for Research Libraries ' Dissertations database includes many non-US theses.

WorldCat  describes many masters' & PhD theses. Use "Advanced Search" and limit to subtype "thesis/dissertation." No full text; it just tells you what libraries have reported having copies.

There are several excellent guides out there with international search recommendations like  University College London's Institute of Education Theses and Dissertations LibGuide .

Institutions:

At the institution where the work originated or the national library of the country (if outside the US):

Online institutional repositories (like Harvard's DASH ): If the work was produced after the  school's repository was established, it may well be found here in full text. 

Libraries: Check the library catalog. There's often a reproductions service ($) for material that hasn't been digitized, but each school has its own policies. Most schools have some kind of "ask a librarian" service where you can ask what to do next.

At your own institution (where applicable) or public library: While many institutions will not lend theses and dissertations or send copies through Interlibrary loan, your Interlibrary Loan department may be able to help you acquire or pay for reproductions. 

• Current Harvard faculty, staff and students: Once you identify a reproduction source you can place a request with Harvard Library ILL  (in the notes field, ask for help with funding).

For Harvard theses and dissertations, see " How can I find a Harvard thesis or dissertation? "

If you're having trouble locating or acquiring a copy of/access to a dissertation, try " Why can't I find this thesis or dissertation?" 

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