The Community, Cultural, and Developmental (CCD) program emphasizes understanding the development of children and adults within their social and cultural contexts. This includes the advancement of theory and social action. To achieve this, we focus on the use of strengths-based approaches that promote inclusion and social justice, and apply a developmental perspective to understand stability and change in the life course.<br><br>Although our program has a similar philosophy to other community and developmental programs throughout the country, we include the systematic integration of cultural psychology in coursework and research. Consistent with this integration is the belief that the skills people develop, the interpersonal relationships they form, and the organizations and settings in which people participate are so interwoven that human behavior is best understood as part of its social and cultural fabric.<br><br>Other innovative features of the program include equal emphasis on qualitative and quantitative methodologies in course requirements, research projects, and practice. All of these features are designed to support the integration of community, cultural, and developmental principles and values.<br><br>For example, students in our program are cross-trained in developmental change in social behavior, cognition, language, and emotions through adulthood, as well as the foundations of community psychology. Our research is guided by a cultural-developmental perspective and focuses on how the interaction between individual attributes and environmental influences shape human development and psychological well-being. Students will work with their graduate advisor to identify a focal area for their studies (either community or developmental psychology).<br><br>Our program also has a Cooperative Agreement with the graduate program in cross-cultural psychology at the University of Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand. This Agreement facilitates student exchanges with opportunities for courses, research, and practice. Students who complete at least a semester of graduate work at the University of Victoria receive a Certificate recognizing their work at graduation.<br>Students are required to work with their advisors to designate one core cluster (either core Cluster 1 or 2, see below) as the primary cluster. Students are expected to take at least two courses from the selected primary core cluster, and at least one course from each of the other three non-primary clusters.