University Vita-Salute San Raffaele
Master Degree in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication
Milano, Italy
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
CHF 16,000
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* EU students
Key Summary
The Master in “Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication”, jointly offered by the Institute of Communication and Health of Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and the Faculty of Psychology of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan (UniSR), presents a new joint Master’s programme through training in cognitive psychology, neuroscience and communication. The programme focuses on the intersection between the theoretical bases of cognitive psychology and those of communication applied to the context of health. Students who choose this specialization will get a strong biological, methodological and statistical training, acquiring also knowledge in management.
The specialization will familiarize students with the latest research and practice in cognitive psychology and provide a modern preparation to lead and influence change in health in today’s diverse communities. The master’s programme is designed to train students who will understand the causes of health-related behaviours and who will also be able to design new and effective interventions to prevent disease and promote health. The entire master’s programme takes advantage of synergies and complementarities between the two Universities, USI and UniSR, and offers excellent competences in teaching and research. This Master offers a high degree of innovation thanks also to the advanced technologies available on site in the two universities in terms of high-tech equipment, data centres, laboratories, and health facilities.
The Master's Degree course in Cognitive Psychology is considered among the qualifying degrees to become a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Italy. Throughout the course of study, students are prepared through a comprehensive educational program and the presence of targeted elective courses aimed at learning theoretical concepts as well as the Italian language to successfully tackle the mandatory state exam in Italian.
In Switzerland, thanks to the recognized joint title, authorization to practice as a clinical psychologist is also possible solely through the completion of a postgraduate internship in local institutions.
A student graduating in Cognitive Psychology with a specialization in health communication at the end of the studies will possess a recognized degree in both Italy and Switzerland, enabling direct entry into the profession of Clinical Psychologist in Italy. Additionally, they will be proficient in professional topics of their field in both English and Italian.
Professional Figure
Psychology in Communication and Health is a rapidly growing field, which is in need of professionals to provide psychological services to those with medical illness. We anticipate that graduates from the program will work in clinics and governmental health organizations, NGOs or other health domains. Furthermore, training in this Master program is designed to produce students who can design novel and effective interventions to prevent disease and promote health
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
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.