How to Find UCF Theses and Dissertations

The first thesis was defended at FTU on March 15, 1972. It was written by John M. Bateman and was titled "Computer Method for Airport Noise Exposure Forecast."

The first dissertation, titled "An Associative Backend Machine for Data Base Management," was defended in November, 1980, and it was a Ph.D. in Computer Science awarded to Alireza Hurson.

Starting in Fall 2004, as a result of UCF’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Initiative, ETD was made mandatory for graduate students. They began submitting ETDs during the Spring semester of 2004; electronic submission was required beginning in the Fall semester of 2004.

These titles are searchable in STARS, and may be searched by title, author, keyword, college, and advisor or committee chair.  In most cases, the full-text is available, however some are restricted to use only while on a UCF campus.

Browse STARS for all ETDs: http://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd

Browse all Masters Theses here: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/masterstheses

Browse all Doctoral Dissertations here: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/doctoraldissertations

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations (RTDs) are scanned copies of theses and dissertations previously published only in print. 

For more information about the project or to learn about how to get your thesis or dissertation digitized, please visit the RTD website in STARS, read the FAQ, or contact the project coordinator.

The Library owns 2 print copies of most titles written through 2004: one copy in the General Collection which may be checked out, and one non-circulating copy in Special Collections.  The library also has one circulating copy of most theses and dissertations written between 2004 and 2007. Beginning in 2008, UCF no longer required students to submit a printed copy of any graduate thesis or dissertation.

Browse STARS for all print-only and retrospectively digitized theses and dissertations: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/rtd/

All print copies of UCF's theses and dissertations at the John C. Hitt Library are located in the ARC and only available by request. These items can be searched and requested using the UCF Libraries Catalog.

Theses and Dissertations Written before 1988: 

• Fully cataloged with keyword, author, and title access
• Subject specific Library of Congress subject headings. 
• Unique Library of Congress call number and held in the ARC.

Theses and Dissertations Written from 1988 to 1999:

• Partially cataloged: author, title, and keyword
• Very general subject headings, not subject specific
• Held in the ARC

Theses and Dissertations Written from 1999 to Fall 2007:

• Fully cataloged with keyword, author and title access
• Subject specific Library of Congress subject headings
• Held in the ARC

Browse the Library Catalog for ALL graduate theses written at Florida Technological University (1972-1978)

Browse the Library Catalog for ALL graduate theses and dissertations written at UCF (1979-present)

Search tips for the Library Catalog:

Select the Advanced Search option.

• Use the first search line to enter a search term regarding the title, author, subject, or other information. Select the appropriate field to search from the drop down menu
• Include thesis AND "university of central florida" as search terms
  • For theses written prior to 1979, use "florida technological university"
• To see which items are available in print, choose "Available on Shelf"