The Life Course Center (LCC) was founded in 1986 by Professor Jeylan Mortimer to support scholarly inquiry related to the life course. The LCC builds on and extends work undertaken by the Family Study Center, founded in 1957. In 2017, the LCC transitioned to a university-wide center for the study of age and the life course under the umbrella of the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation (ISRDI). The LCC is supported by the ISRDI, the Office of the Vice President for Research, the College of Liberal Arts, and the Department of Sociology. The center provides an intellectual forum that enriches the research and educational activities of a broad range of faculty and students.

Life course studies encompass all stages of life from birth to death. Affiliated faculty use a wide range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, including qualitative and quantitative work, historical studies of the life course in different periods, comparative work that spans diverse societal contexts, and applied, policy-relevant research.

Although the center is not currently a degree-granting program, it enhances graduate education through research, seminars, and courses offered by center faculty. Graduate students participate as research assistants and as collaborators in faculty research. Students and faculty alike share their research ideas, plans, and findings in the Work, Family, and Time Workshops.