Finding theses

University of Sydney theses

Higher Degree by Research theses

We hold theses written by the University’s Higher Degree by Research (PhD or Masters by Research) students in our collections.

You can find a University of Sydney thesis by searching the Library catalogue. Select the “Advanced search” and then select “USYD Theses” from the “Material type” dropdown menu.

You can also find digital theses by searching directly in the Sydney eScholarship repository.

Access a digital or digitised thesis

Many of the University’s digital and digitised theses are openly available for download through the Sydney eScholarship repository.

Theses marked “University of Sydney Access” are only available to current University staff and students. Libraries and private researchers can request to purchase a copy of a University of Sydney Access only thesis for AUD$18.50 (incl. GST, within Australia) or AUD$40.00 (international requests).

To purchase a digital thesis, you need to complete one of the relevant request forms below and submit it to library.resourcesharing@sydney.edu.au:

All requests for copies of material held at the University of Sydney Library must comply with the Copyright Act of 1968.

Access a hard copy thesis

Theses that are only available in printed format can be viewed in the Rare Books and Special Collections Library, Level 1, Fisher Library.

We are currently running a project to digitise hardcopy theses. You can request an update to find out where a particular thesis is in our digitisation queue by emailing library.digitalcollections@sydney.edu.au.

We don’t digitise theses on request.

Honours or postgraduate coursework theses

Search for an honours or postgraduate coursework thesis in the repository, then use the filters on the left side of the results page to narrow by “Type”.

You can also search the Honours and Postgraduate Coursework theses collection for a faculty, school or discipline (if available).

There are limited numbers of honours theses in the Sydney eScholarship repository as we have strict requirements for submission of honours theses. If you can't find the thesis you're looking for, we suggest contacting the relevant faculty office.

Theses from other Australian and New Zealand universities

Find a thesis from other Australian or New Zealand universities by searching:

If you’re interested in a thesis that isn't available online, you can request the item through our Resource Sharing Service.

International theses

For theses written and submitted at universities outside of Australia, try the following resources:

  • Contact

    For more help finding and accessing theses, speak to our friendly library staff.

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