Answered By: Andrew Last Updated: Aug 05, 2026 Views: 8857
The terms ‘dissertation’ and ‘thesis’ are used interchangeably around the world, but dissertation usually (but not always) refers to a research project produced for a Masters level award (e.g.MA, MSc, MBA), whilst ‘thesis’ usually refers to a doctoral level text produced toward the end of doctoral studies (e.g. for a PhD or other doctoral class award eg. M.Phil). If you are searching for a thesis, please see FAQ link below.
Library Holdings
The Library holds old University of Liverpool Masters Dissertations, most which are kept at our Brunswick Library Store and in the Sydney Jones Library's Store 2 in the Abercromby Wing basement. To search for them use Library Search, select Dissertation under Material Type then using the search filters use the search term word Masters thesis project in the any field box.
To request them, once they have been found on Library Search,complete the Brunswick request form to request them. If you have any difficulty filling in the form, please contact us.
If you are looking for a Masters dissertation after the year 2017/cannot find an older one you want, please contact the Department or School to check if copies are available there.
Final Year Psychology undergraduate dissertations from 2015 only have previously been kept in the Library but from February 2023 these are being withdrawn. For accesss to available psychology dissertations please see How do I find the final year psychology dissertations? and/or contact the School of Psychology.
External Collections
The University of Liverpool Library provides access to a range of external dissertation and theses collections. You can search for Masters level dissertations worldwide via collections such as ProQuest, NDLTD and OAIster.
How do I access sample online Dissertations and Theses?
You can search for online Masters level dissertations and theses (typically doctoral level works) via collections such as ProQuest from the Library Guide for Online and Remote Studies - browse to the E-Resources area, then see the Theses & Dissertations page.
Dissertations and theses are made available worldwide by online collections licensed by the Library. You can also see UoL submitted doctoral and MPhil level theses (and other research output of UoL staff and researchers) by visiting the UoL research repository, note - the UoL repository does not retain nor publish Masters level dissertations in hardcopy or digital form. See the Theses & Dissertations page for these sources.
Your programme or school may also provide sample Masters level dissertations. Your tutor or dissertation advisor should be able to advise on access to sample dissertations submitted for your programme of study.