Here is a clean, practical list of resources where you can read doctoral theses (PhDs, DBAs) specifically in Project Management to assist your research and thesis structuring:
- PQDT Open (ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Open)
Free access to many dissertations and theses.
Good filtering for “Project Management.”
Visit PQDT Open
- EThOS (British Library)
UK doctoral theses across universities, many available for free download.
Visit EThOS
- Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)
Searches multiple repositories globally.
Use advanced search for “Project Management” + “PhD”.
- Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
Global coverage.
- University Repositories
Many universities host open-access theses, including:
MIT DSpace – MIT Theses
Harvard DASH – Harvard Theses
University of Pretoria UPSpace – UPSpace
University of Cape Town OpenUCT – OpenUCT
University of South Africa (UNISA) Institutional Repository – UNISA ETD
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (Subscription-based, but many universities and public libraries have access)
One of the largest databases for dissertations globally.
Advanced search allows filtering by “Project Management.”
- Google Scholar
Search: “Project Management doctoral thesis PDF” or “PhD dissertation project management”
Use the “PDF” filter on the right.
- ResearchGate
Many researchers upload their theses and can be contacted for full versions.
Search: “PhD Project Management dissertation.”
✅ Academia.edu
Similar to ResearchGate, but be cautious of the paywalls.
Some universities with strong Project Management doctoral tracks and public repositories:
University of Manchester (Alliance Manchester Business School)
Cranfield University
University of Salford (UK)
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
University of Maryland (Project Management Center for Excellence)
University of Pretoria (Engineering and Project Management)
Stevens Institute of Technology (USA) – Project Management PhD Program
Check their repositories under the “Thesis” or “eResearch” sections.
When searching:
- Use keywords:
“Project Management maturity”
“Agile Project Management in large organizations”
“Risk Management in Projects”
“Project Governance in construction”
“IT Project Management failures”
“Sustainability and Project Management”
- Filter for PhD or DBA, not MSc/MA.
- Use filters for year ranges to find recent methodologies and structures.
- Sample titles in Project Management from these databases for inspiration,
- A comparison table of typical methodologies used in PM doctoral theses,
- or summaries of 5–10 theses relevant to your research area,