University Vita-Salute San Raffaele
Master Degree in Cognitive Psychology in Health CommunicationMilan, Italy
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30 Jun 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Oct 2025
TUITION FEES
CHF 8,000
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for non-EU citizens
Key Summary
Introduction
Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication
The Master in “Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication”, jointly offered by the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and the Faculty of Psychology of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan (UNISR), presents a Master degree programme in cognitive psychology with an interdisciplinary training in psychology, neuroscience, health communication, organizational behaviour and management. The programme focuses on the intersection between the theoretical bases of cognitive psychology and of communication applied to the context of health. Cognitive psychology is the study of all mental processes which drive simple or more complex behaviours, either normal or pathological. These include, among the many, verbal and non-verbal forms of communication, implicit and explicit memory, perception, attention, consciousness, problem solving, decision making, gratification, etc.
Students who are admitted into the programme will receive an advanced theoretical background in neuroscience and modern psychology, will learn advanced research methods in psychology and health communication including a large variety of and statistical techniques and tools that can be used for the analysis of human behaviour in research labs, clinical departments, health frameworks and companies. A central goal of this programme is to familiarize students with the latest research and practice in these areas of research and help them translate and apply this knowledge in many different working environment including health psychology, communication, management, and marketing.
Recognition of qualifications
This degree is fully recognized as a Master's Degree in Psychology in both Italy and Switzerland, opening up a wide range of career opportunities for students in both countries.
The program provides numerous internship opportunities with various partners in Switzerland and Italy. Completion of an internship is a requirement for taking the final exam to become a licensed psychologist in Italy. Proficiency in the Italian language is necessary for both the internship and the final exam. However, students will have ample opportunities to improve their Italian language skills during the two-year Master's program.
The Master's program is also part of the Europsy circuit, which is a quality certification based on European standards of academic and professional training developed by EFPA (European Federation of Psychologists' Associations). As a result, the Master's degree is fully recognized in all European countries.
Admissions
Curriculum
The programme is organized into 4 units, called ‘modules’, over two years. The first module covers mainly classes in Health Communication and research methods; the second module covers topics in advanced cognitive psychology and Neurosciences; the third module covers topics in management, strategy, and consumer behaviour. In the fourth semester students will study selected topics in health and organizational psychology and conduct a field project (by companies, hospitals or by experimental labs) and write their Master Thesis under joint supervision of Faculties of UNISR/USI.
Study Program
First year:
- Advances in Behavioral Neuroscience: Psychological applications in Communication and Health, Advances in Behavioral Neuroscience;
- Practical application in Psychology and Health communication 1;
- Communication in Health: Health Communication, Fundamentals of Global and Public Health, Health Campaign and Evaluation;
- Research Methods in Health: Experimental Design and Analysis of Psychological Data, Psychometrics;
- Learning and memory;
- Advanced Topics in Cognitive Psychology;
- Decision making and behavior
Second year:
- Practical application in Psychology and Health
communication 2; - Social Psychology;
- Organizational Behavior;
- Practical application in Psychology and Health communication: Advanced Research Methods;
- Accounting;
- Advanced modelling in psychology;
- Health Psychology;
- Thesis
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Students who complete this Master program will be equipped to work in various health domains, such as clinics, governmental health organizations, and NGOs. Additionally, the program's training is designed to enable students to effectively design interventions that prevent diseases and promote health.
English Language Requirements
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