Thesis Collection
Over 100 years of Dalhousie graduate research available to you.
For well over a hundred years, Dalhousie University has offered graduate degrees with thesis requirements. The Dalhousie Thesis Collection now contains over 10,000 titles dating from 1890 to the present, and constitutes an invaluable research resource.
Find a thesis
Novanet
Search the Novanet catalogue for location and format information for Dalhousie theses from 1890 to the present.
Master files
Dalhousie University Archives and Special Collections, 5th floor, Killam Library, maintains a master card file of Dalhousie theses from 1890-2005 .
- "Thesis" refers to Master's theses and doctoral dissertations.
- We collect all graduate theses accepted by Dalhousie University, including joint degrees with other institutions.
Thesis holdings
Print
Printed copies of Dalhousie theses from 1890 to 1972 are available for in house use in Special Collections on the 5th floor of the Killam LIbrary. Dalhousie theses from 1973-2009 are available for regular loan from the Killam Circulation desk.
- Includes materials from the Maritime School of Social Work and theses after the 2001 merger of Dalhousie with the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS).
- Access earlier TUNS theses in the Sexton Design & Technology Library.
- Theses from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (now Dalhousie's Faculty of Agriculture) are available in the MacRae Library
Digital
Most Dalhousie theses completed from 1997 to the present are available to Dalhousie users online via the Dissertations & Theses database (full-text pdf files).
- Digital copies of theses are also available through DalSpace.
- Theses Canada Portal an online catalogue recently launched by Library and Archives Canada, is another resource for searching all Canadian theses. Theses Canada Portal also offers free access to full-text electronic theses covering the period from 1998 to 2002.
- The National Library of Canada online catalogue Amicus can also be used to identify Dalhousie theses.
- Dalhousie theses from 2009 on are also available through Synergies, the Social Sciences and Humanities research portal.
Microfiche
Microfiche copies of every Dalhousie thesis completed from 1972 to the present are housed in the Microform Unit on the first floor of the Killam Library.
- Reproduction is available on site.
Microfilm
Frequently requested pre-1972 theses are available.
- Microfilms of theses are interfiled with other microfilms in call number order. Call numbers start with "Dal-MSS" followed by the department code.
Borrowing theses
Print
Pre-1972 theses are available for onsite use in Special Collections. Post-1992 these are available fore regular loan from the Killam Circulation department.
Databases
On-campus users have the option of downloading post-1997 theses from Dissertations & Theses, DalSpace and Synergies.
Architecture and engineering
Circulating copies of architecture and engineering theses are available for loan from the Sexton Library.
Microfiche
Copies of post-1972 Dalhousie theses can be borrowed from the Microform Unit of the Serials/Microform Department at the Killam Library.
Microfilms
Post-1972 Dalhousie theses on microfiche are also available for loan from the National Library of Canada via Document Delivery if the Dalhousie copy has been signed out.
- If a second bound copy of a pre-1972 thesis exists, requests for limited term loans may be considered for off-campus and distance education users. Contact Dalhousie Archives and Special Collections.
Purchasing theses
If the authors have signed release forms, theses may be purchased for research purposes.
- UMI Dissertation Services sells post-1972 Dalhousie theses.
- Copying. If not found anywhere else, Special Collections makes copies and charges 25 cents per page. Copyright restrictions may apply and forbid reproduction. Copy requests may be submitted to Dalhousie Archives and Special Collections.
