Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation provides you with knowledge and methods needed for research and to design, implement, and evaluate programs aimed at fostering positive human development throughout the lifespan.
Positive psychology is understood as an approach to human functioning that addresses human flourishing and well-being and the factors that contribute to them. The positive psychology program at CGU was founded by the grandfather of Positive Psychology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. At Claremont Graduate University, Positive Development is understood as individual growth through the lifespan. You’ll examine the positive developmental trajectories and processes that contribute to positive outcomes at both individual and sociocultural levels, integrating that knowledge with a background in evaluation and applied research methods. Led by expert faculty-scholars from both fields, you will continue the good work began by late Professor Csikszentmihalyi and gain experience applying social science concepts and methods to important social issues through research and practice, preparing you to succeed in an array of organizations and institutions and to make a lasting impact on the lives within them.
Program Highlights
Our programming in Positive Developmental Psychology is built upon the following core principles:
- The importance of understanding positive developmental processes and primary prevention, promotion, and optimization, rather than remediation.
- The need to take into account inter-individual differences and intra-individual changes across the lifespan.
- The centrality of context, especially institutions, settings, and programs that promote positive experiences and characteristics.
- An appreciation of the bidirectional relationship between knowledge generation and knowledge application.
- Promotion of applied research and evaluation so that our work has direct implications for the decisions of individuals, families, schools, practitioners, and policymakers.
- This program is STEM designated, allowing international students who hold F-1 visas to apply for OPT work authorizations for a total of 36 months (an initial 1-year period and a 24-month OPT STEM extension) of paid work experience in the U.S. after graduation.
Program At-a-glance
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48 units
required units
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MA in Psychology
degree awarded
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In Person
modality
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Spring, Summer, Fall
program start
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2 years | full time*
estimated completion time
