Course summary

Developed for both recent graduates of Psychology, Business, Marketing as well as current business development, marketing, advertising or market insight/research professionals, this course covers the workings of the consumer mind in the increasingly saturated and global markets. Specifically you will learn about what captures consumers’ attention, how their perceptions and attitudes may be altered as well as factors that affect the consumer decision-making process. You will also consider the social-psychological aspects of consumers’ functioning such as social influence tactics used in sales, persuasion and advertising alongside the role of personality and identity in consumer’s functioning. Furthermore, you will learn about the most commonly used statistical techniques as well as the theoretical and practical complexities of conducting psychologically based consumer research. You will learn and put your research skills into practice throughout your Masters which will culminate in your own piece of independent research. Your project could support the business you currently work within or be based on a sector or company you would like to work for in the future such as the FMCG or advertising sectors. Upon graduation you'll be well placed to provide businesses, government bodies and charitable institutions with expertise and insights into psychological aspects of marketing, branding, advertising and consumer behaviour. Our teaching team include Course Leader Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, Dr Magdalena Zawisza, Dr Suzanna Forwood and Dr Richard Piech. All have extensive experience in furthering the understanding of consumer behaviour. In addition, we regularly invite professionals from national and international organisations such as Unilever, Tesco, Autotrader and D Coded. You will also have the opportunity to work with companies to conduct research for your dissertation. Our psychology research has been classified as world-leading and internationally excellent in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) and we continue to work with industry to generate relevant research outcomes that lead to measurable impact. For more information about who we work with please click on the individual links of the course lecturers.