Thin shells as a structural form have made important contribution to the development of several branches of engineering, e.g., chemical, power, structural engineering, etc. The aim of this research is to analyze symmetrically loaded thin cylindrical shell structures using transfer matrix method. A shell is a body bounded by a double curved surface, the thickness of the shell generally being smaller than its radius. A shell is classified thin if the ratio of the thickness to radius is less than twenty. The analyses of the shell is done using the transfer matrix method. The theory of transfer matrix method is discussed and the analogy between shell and beam on elastic foundation is proved. This analogy between shell and beam is used as a foundation to analyze the shell. Several different loading conditions, e.g., uniform and variable pressure load, ring load etc. are considered. The displacement, shear, angle, moment and various stresses like maximum normal stress, hoop stress, longitudinal stress etc. are found. Shell structures with ring stiffeners are also studied. Several test examples are analyzed and the results are compared to published data. / Master of Science