Dissertations & Theses

As of 2016, ODU instituted an Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) program -- electronic format is now required for all students. All dissertations and theses are submitted and available electronically through ProQuest's Dissertations & Theses @ ODU and also through the university's institutional repository ODU Digital Commons (as the University's official copy). No new print copies are available in the University Libraries.

ODU Dissertations: In 2019, an additional 2,488 dissertations and some theses back to 1976 were added to ODU Digital Commons. In the past all dissertations were required to be deposited in ProQuest. ProQuest digitized the print and made them available in their Dissertations & Theses database. ODU purchased those digital copies to add to Digital Commons. All pre-2016 dissertations (and some theses that went to ProQuest) are still available in print in the library stacks on the 4th floor LD4331 - until further notice and at least through Spring semester 2024. 

ODU Theses: The 3,000+ theses that never went to ProQuest and were only available in print in the Perry Library have been pulled from the shelves and will be available digitally starting in late 2023.

Print Copies: Pre-2016 print copies of all ODU theses and dissertations are available in Special Collections and University Archives on the 3rd floor or Perry Library (email libspecialcollections@odu.edu for more information or to make an appointment).

For information about submitting ETDs, including the official guide, go to the ODU Graduate School Resources page.

You can search for ODU dissertations and theses in Monarch OneSearch on the Libraries homepage at odu.edu/library. If the item is available electronically, you will get a link; the majority of theses, published prior to 2016, are only in print.

Monarch OneSearch   

Search by author or title, or enter a subject:

Subject example: psychology and old dominion university and (dissertations or theses)

• Print copies of theses and dissertations may be found both in the fourth floor book stacks and in the Special Collections/University Archives area on the third floor. See Department Codes below.
• WorldCat also includes ODU's theses and dissertations.

Print copies of theses and dissertations are shelved on the 4th floor with the call number LD4331 and one of the following department codes. [Note: As of Fall 2016, theses and dissertations are available online only through ODU Digital Commons.]
Call number begins: LD4331