The Quality of Life Research Center (QLRC) at Claremont Graduate University was founded in 1999. The QLRC is a non-profit research institute that studies Positive Psychology; that is, human strengths such as creativity, intrinsic motivation, and responsibility.

In the past, the study of behavior has focused mainly on what goes wrong in human affairs: aggression, mental disease, failure and hopelessness. While it is essential to study and contain such pathologies, it is equally important to understand those aspects of human experience that make life worth living. The QLRC conducts research on such issues, and provides a forum for scholars from the U.S. and abroad who wish to extend their studies in positive psychology.

A series of programs in Positive Psychology were launched in the fall of 2007 through the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences.  The Ph.D. programs in Positive Organizational Psychology and Positive Developmental Psychology provide research training in positive psychology.  M.A.'s co-concentrating in Evaluation and either Positive Organizational Psychology or Positive Developmental Psychology are also offered.