Directory of History Dissertations
Directory Contents
The Directory of History Dissertations contains more than 21,000 dissertations
that have been completed or are currently -in progress in the United States and Canada since
1882. This directory is the merger of two previous online publications, Dissertations
in Progress (online from 1999 to 2005) and the Directory of Completed Dissertations.
Sources of Directory Information
The information in this Directory has primarily been supplied by various PhD granting departments. In the
spring of 2003, the AHA sent a query to all departments known to grant PhDs
asking for a list of all degrees granted. Some departments replied with complete lists, others with partial lists,
and some did not respond at all. If you are aware of dissertations that
are missing, or entries that contain inaccurate information, please contact the
granting department, and ask them to supply the missing or corrected information
to the AHA. In order to maintain editorial quality, the AHA is not able to
take revisions directly from
scholars or the general public.
Background of the Directory
Each year as part of the annual updating of the Directory of History Departments, the AHA collects information about dissertations currently being produced by students in PhD granting departments. Until the 1998–99 edition this information was published as part of the Directory. Beginning in 1999 Dissertations in Progress became a separate, online-only publication available for free through the AHA web site.
Since the advent of the online version of Dissertations in Progress, the AHA has received numerous queries from scholars asking that they be allowed to update the information contained in their record. AHA staff has tried to accommodate these requests, but staff time available to make such changes is very limited and the problem is exacerbated when departmental staff resubmits out-of-date information after scholars have updated their own records.
Adding Individual Records
Generally, dissertation records are added as part of the annual process of History departments updating their entries in the Directory of History Departments and Organizations. However, you may also petition a department to submit information about a previously completed dissertation. Due to limits in staff resources, AHA staff will enter these requests at the same time that the rest of the Directory of History Departments information is processed, usually in October of each year. Students currently working on dissertations who would like to be added to the list of dissertations in progress should contact their director of graduate studies in May to make sure their name and title will be included in their department's annual submission.
Updating Individual Records
Please note that before you
can update your record, your department must have already submitted your name
and a title. (See above). Because staff resources are limited, adding information
to a record is a service available to members only. In order to
edit your record, you need to login to member services and complete a request
form. Once AHA staff has been able to verify your request, you will be able
to modify your record the next time you login to member services. (Please note:
this feature is currently undergoing reprogramming and is temporarily unavailable.)