Choosing a heading font that works alongside Times New Roman in your dissertation sounds like a small detail until you see how much it affects the overall look of your document. Dissertations follow strict formatting rules, and most universities either require or strongly recommend Times New Roman for body text. That leaves you with a choice: what do you use for chapter titles, section headings, and subheadings? Pick the wrong font, and your document looks disjointed or amateur. Pick the right one, and everything reads clean, professional, and polished. This guide covers exactly which heading fonts pair well with Times New Roman so your dissertation looks the way it should.

Why does the heading font matter when body text is already Times New Roman?

Times New Roman is a serif font designed for long-form reading. It's narrow, traditional, and highly readable at 12pt. But headings serve a different purpose than body text they need to stand out, create visual hierarchy, and guide the reader through your chapters and sections. If you use Times New Roman for both body text and headings, the only way to differentiate them is by size and weight. That works, but it can feel flat, especially in a document that runs 100+ pages.

A complementary heading font creates contrast without clashing. It signals to the reader (and to your committee) that you paid attention to formatting details. For more on specific pairing strategies, see our breakdown of font pairing with Times New Roman for academic papers.

What types of fonts work best as headings with Times New Roman?

There are two main approaches, and both work well in dissertations:

Sans-serif fonts for headings

This is the most popular choice. A clean sans-serif font creates a clear contrast with the serif body text. The visual difference helps headings pop off the page without looking out of place. Common choices include:

Helvetica Neutral, widely available, and professional. It's one of the most used sans-serif fonts in academic and corporate settings.
Arial A safe, system-default option. If your university's computers don't have many fonts installed, Arial will render correctly everywhere.
Calibri Slightly softer and more modern than Arial. It's the default font in Microsoft Word, so it's always available.
Gill Sans A humanist sans-serif with slightly more character. Works well in humanities and social science dissertations.
Trebuchet MS Rounded and approachable. A good option if you want something softer than Arial without being informal.
Verdana Designed for screen readability, but works fine in print at heading sizes.

If you want to explore this approach further, our guide on Times New Roman and sans-serif combinations for research documents covers specific pairings in detail.

Alternative serif fonts for headings

Some writers prefer sticking with serif fonts for a more traditional, cohesive look. The key here is choosing a serif that looks noticeably different from Times New Roman not just a slight variation. Good options include:

Georgia Wider and bolder than Times New Roman, even at the same point size. It was designed for screens but prints well at heading sizes.
Garamond Elegant and slightly larger in x-height than Times New Roman. Commonly used in book publishing and academic publishing.
Palatino Wider letterforms and a more calligraphic feel. It pairs well because it's clearly a different style of serif.
Book Antiqua Similar to Palatino but with its own subtle differences. A solid fallback if Palatino isn't installed.
Century Schoolbook Slightly heavier and wider. It's a classic academic font that contrasts well with the narrower Times New Roman.

Which heading fonts are the safest choices for dissertation formatting?

If your university has specific formatting requirements and most do always check the dissertation handbook first. That said, here are the safest bets:

Arial is the safest sans-serif choice. It's installed on virtually every computer and pairs cleanly with Times New Roman.
Calibri is a close second. It's the default in Word, so you won't run into font substitution problems.
Georgia is the safest serif choice for headings if you want to stay within the serif family.

For a broader set of recommendations and specific font size pairings, check our full list of heading fonts that match Times New Roman in dissertations.

What font size should headings be when the body is 12pt Times New Roman?

Font choice is only half the equation. Size and weight matter just as much. Here's a typical hierarchy for dissertations:

Chapter titles (Heading 1): 14–16pt, bold, centered
Section headings (Heading 2): 12–14pt, bold, left-aligned
Subsection headings (Heading 3): 12pt, bold, left-aligned

Some style guides (APA, Chicago, MLA) have their own heading level specifications. Always cross-reference your required style guide with your university's formatting template.

What mistakes do people make when choosing a heading font?

These are the most common errors I've seen in dissertation formatting:

Using two serif fonts that look too similar. Times New Roman for body and, say, Futura wait, that's sans-serif. The real problem is pairing Times New Roman with something like Cambria or another serif that's too close in style. The headings won't stand out enough.
Picking decorative or display fonts. Fonts like Papyrus, Comic Sans, or anything overly stylized look unprofessional in academic documents. Stick with text fonts designed for readability.
Ignoring font availability. If you pick a font that's only on your computer, your document may look different when your advisor or the dissertation office opens it. Use system fonts or embed your fonts in the PDF.
Inconsistent heading levels. Choose one heading font and stick with it across all levels. Use size and weight to differentiate levels, not different fonts for each level.
Not checking the style guide. Some programs specify exact fonts for headings. Using a different font even a good one can get your document sent back for revisions.

How do you actually set up different fonts for headings in Word?

Most people manually format each heading by selecting the text and changing the font. That works, but it's slow and error-prone. Instead, modify the built-in heading styles:

Go to the Styles pane in Word.
Right-click Heading 1 and select Modify.
Set the font, size, weight, and color you want.
Check "New documents based on this template" if you want it to apply to future documents.
Repeat for Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.

This approach keeps your formatting consistent and makes it easy to generate a table of contents automatically.

Does the field of study affect which heading font is appropriate?

Somewhat. There's no hard rule, but there are conventions:

STEM fields tend to favor sans-serif headings (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica) because they look clean and technical.
Humanities and social sciences often lean toward serif options (Georgia, Garamond, Palatino) for a more traditional, scholarly feel.
Business and education dissertations commonly use sans-serif headings with Times New Roman body text it's the most widely accepted combination.

These aren't strict rules. Your department's formatting guidelines take priority over any general convention.

Can you use the same font for headings and body text?

Yes, and many dissertations do exactly that Times New Roman for everything, with headings differentiated by size and bold weight. This is the simplest approach and the one most likely to pass formatting review without issues. It's not the most visually dynamic choice, but it's clean, professional, and completely acceptable. If your formatting guidelines don't specify a separate heading font, there's nothing wrong with keeping it uniform.

Quick checklist before you submit

Read your university's dissertation formatting guide cover to cover especially the section on fonts and headings
Check whether your required style guide (APA, Chicago, MLA, Turabian) specifies heading formatting
Choose a heading font that contrasts with Times New Roman but doesn't distract from the content
Use Word's built-in heading styles instead of manual formatting
Make sure your chosen font is installed on any computer that will open your file or embed fonts when you export to PDF
Test your full document: print a few pages to see how the heading and body fonts look together on paper
Keep heading formatting consistent across all chapters

Start by picking one of the recommended fonts above, setting up your heading styles in Word, and printing a test page. That single step will tell you more about how the pairing looks than any guide can. If it reads clearly and looks balanced, you've found your match.