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Consumer Psychology (MSc, PDip)

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Course Overview

Watch course video presentation here.

Consumer psychology is the study of how we relate to the transaction of goods and services we use every day. Understanding consumers requires knowledge of consumer psychology theories, collecting and interpreting consumer data and opinions and developing meaningful interactions with consumers. In the MSc in Consumer Psychology, we train students to become data-literate consumer professionals ready to identify insights from various data sources to a variety of commercial and non-commercial organisations, addressing the needs of employees and consumers.

This MSc programme is an interdisciplinary programme based in the School of Psychology at NUI Galway. We integrate inputs from the School of Psychology, the Irish Centre for High Performance Computing, the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, and the NUI Galway Launchpad student innovation hub, as well as guest lecturers from local and international companies and organisations.

The MSc in Consumer Psychology seeks to provide students with an important competitive advantage: the ability to make more insightful business decisions that integrate a deeper understanding of human psychology. Objectives of the Programme The objectives of the programme are to:

  • Develop informed problem-solvers who are comfortable working in today’s data-driven economy.
  • Provide training in consumer psychology, user experience design and human decision-making to provide the student with an understanding of how consumers typically interact with products and services.
  • Develop the student’s knowledge of the commercial context including unit economics and industry tools.
  • Equip students with the skills to collect user data in person and online and analyse these data using R to generate novel data-based insights.
  • Prepare students for the opportunities and challenges in developing sustainable solutions for consumers from different communities, cultures and contexts.

Applications and Selections

Applications are made online via the NUI Galway Postgraduate Applications System. 

Guidelines on the requirements for applying to this course, which include an academic reference, a current CV, and document critically appraising a piece of your previous work informed by statistical analysis, can be found here. 

Who Teaches this Course

  • Dr Denis O’Hora, Psychology
  • Dr Elaine Wallace, Marketing
  • Dr Bruno Voisin, ICHEC
  • Natalie Walsh, Launchpad

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Applicants will require a NQAI Level 8 degree, or equivalent, with a minimum classification of 2.2 in BA or BSc Psychology with Graduate Basis Membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland OR 2.1 or above in a psychology-related discipline. Graduates from other disciplines (e.g. Commerce, Accounting, Economics, Data Science, Mathematics, Marketing, or Business) whose degrees contain at least one module of taught statistics, mathematics and/or research methods and have a 2.1 or above can also apply. 


Additional Requirements

Duration

1 year, full-time

Next start date

September 2022

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

21

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

Please view the offer rounds website.

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

90

Award

CAO

Course code

1MCO1, 1MCO3 (MSc, PDip)

Course Outline

The MSc in Consumer Psychology skills students up in three areas, their understanding of consumer behaviour, their ability to design for data collection and analyse consumer data and finally their knowledge of today’s business and organisational environment.

Students will undertake a variety of modules that address these topics in Semesters 1 and 2.

Across Semesters 1 and 2 and into Semester 3, they will undertake a group project addressing a consumer issue identified by an external organisation. In this project, they will put their research skills into practice by designing and executing a piece of original research relevant to the field of consumer psychology and producing a series of relevant outputs including a literature review, pitch document, poster presentation and a research report.

Modules List:

  • Consumer Psychology
  • Understanding Human Decision Making
  • Measuring Consumer Behaviour & Engagement
  • Data Analysis through R (The Irish Centre for High Performance Computing)
  • Design Thinking (Launchpad Innovation hub)
  • Consumers across Cultures and Contexts
  • Sustainable Consumption
  • Strategy and Innovation (J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics)
  • Principles of Marketing (J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics)
  • Tools and Insights from Industry (Industry leaders)
  • Work-based Project

Assessment

Each module will assess its learning outcomes in a manner suitable to its content. Assessment methods include essay-style submissions, oral examinations, poster presentations, and technical reports.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Industry is more data-focused than ever before. However, as the amount of data is increasing, it becomes ever more difficult to extract relevant signal from irrelevant noise. Some companies feel that they are “drowning in data”. McKinsey in May 2011 pointed out that only 20% of the data collected by companies is unique and the rest is duplicated. Every second, the haystack gets bigger and the needles are harder to find.

Many companies are "drowning in data". They need employees who understand consumers and the market in order to design tests to collect the data that matter for organisational decisions. You will refine and isolate decision-grade information. To do this, you require the combination of psychology, business and data skills provided in this programme.

Examples of the roles that graduates can obtain using this qualification include consumer psychologist, consumer research analyst, consumer planner, organizational consultant, data insights analyst, product development and design roles, sales roles—especially sales enablement and leadership.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

 

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€9,090 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Tuition

€8,950 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Non EU

€16,540 p.a. 2022/22

 


Student levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.  Further detail here.

Find out More

Dr Denis O’Hora 
T: +353 91 495 126 
E: denis.ohora@nuigalway.ie 
www.nuigalway.ie/our-research/people/psychology/denisohora/

Downloads

  • Postgraduate Prospectus 2022

    Postgraduate Prospectus 2022 PDF (14.3MB)

  • Undergraduate Prospectus 2022

    Undergraduate Prospectus 2022 PDF (8.4MB)