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Psychology: Economic and Consumer Psychology

Master

Description

We are constantly making choices and decisions. We choose a master’s specialisation, select a health care insurance, and decide to skip dessert for a healthier lifestyle. Some of our choices require intentional decisions, whether to buy or rent a house, to save or spend our money after a day’s work, who to date (and who not to date). Other choices and decisions may be more habitual, such as switching on the news at eight or accessing Google to look up some information. Our days are filled with countless decisions and the consequences of these decisions, from having tea or coffee in the morning to choosing a movie to watch in the evening. And if this is not already hard enough by itself, companies and organisations try to influence our choices and decisions, through marketing and advertising. These persuasion attempts range from how to tempt us to buy their (new and improved) product to how to make us save energy or donate money to charity. But how do we decide? How rational are our choices? Are our emotions useful in making decisions or not? How do we sell our own products and ideas to others? As economic behaviours overlap to a large extent with social behaviours, the master’s specialisation in Economic and Consumer Psychology has a lot to offer in answering these questions.

Objectives

In the master’s specialisation in Economic and Consumer Psychology, students will study the psychological mechanisms that underlie many of our choices and decisions concerning consumption and other economic behaviours. It aims at providing students with high-level training (i.e., comprehensive knowledge and excellent skills) in economic and consumer psychology, which will enable them to work independently at a professional level in a relevant field. Economic and Consumer Psychology has a core curriculum with a focus on the integration of psychological and economic theories and practice. Visit our Masters In Leiden page for more information about Economic and Consumer Psychology.

Curriculum

The curriculum of 60 EC offers a variety of courses and a supervised master thesis. The specialisation consists of:

  • 4 mandatory courses (20 EC)

  • thesis (20 EC)

  • internship (10 EC)

  • 2 elective course (10 EC)

Master's Kick Off

At this day (29 August 2024 for students starting in September and 30 January 2025 for students starting in February) your attendance is strongly advised.

During the Master's Kick Off you will be handed important information on how to organise your studies at Leiden University. The coordinator of your specialisation will be present. You do not want to miss this!

You can find the event page of the Master's Kick Off on the right-hand side of this page.

First year

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory coursework
Emotions and (Ir)rationality in Economic Behaviour 5
The Psychology of Media and Communication 5
The Psychology of Selling and Advertising 5
Academic Skills for Evidence-based Policy and Advice 5
Master Thesis in MSc. Psychology 20

Choose one of the following options as internship
Internal Practical Internship (IPI) 10
Internship Psychology 10

Recommended electives

Add two electives. See overview of all electives
Motivation, Power and Leadership 5
Trainers Course Communication Skills 10
Environmental Psychology 5
The Psychology of Economic Behaviour 5
Social Animals at Work 5

More info

Additional information

Contact

General coordinator and internship coordinator

Elise Seip
To be contacted via seo.unit@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Thesis coordinator

Welmer Molenmaker
To be contacted via seo.unit@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Mentor

Thesis supervisor

Student representative

Find your student representative in the overview of programme committee members: Student representative

Career Perspective

Career preparation in the master specialisation Economic and Consumer Psychology

In addition to offering you a solid university education, Leiden University aims to prepare you as well as possible for the labour market, and in doing so contribute to the development of your employability. In this way, it will become easier for you to make the transition to the labour market, to remain employable in a dynamic labour market, in a (career) job that suits your own personal values, preferences and development.

'Employability' consists of the following aspects that you will develop within your study programme, among others:

  1. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills
    Knowledge and skills specific to your study programme.

  2. Transferable skills
    These are skills that are relevant to every student and that you can use in all kinds of jobs irrespective of your study programme, for example: researching, analysing, project-based working, generating solutions, digital skills, collaborating, oral communication, written communication, presenting, societal awareness, independent learning, resilience. But also think of job application skills: preparing a CV, formulating a cover letter, compiling a LinkedIn profile, networking, practising job interviews, preparing and holding a pitch.

  3. Self-reflection
    This involves reflecting on your own (study) career (choices), reflecting on your own profile and your personal and professional development. Gaining insight into, among other things, your competences and personality, your (work) values and motives. what can you do with your knowledge and skills on the labour market?
    Who are you, what can you do well, what do you find interesting, what suits you, what do you find important, what do you want to do?

  4. Practical experience
    Gaining practical experience through practical and social internships and work placements, external research internships and projects, practical assignments, which are integrated into an elective, minor or graduation assignment, business challenges etc.

  5. Labour market orientation
    Gaining insight into the labour market, fields of work, jobs and career paths through, for example, guest speakers from the work field, alumni presentations and experiences, career events within the study programme, the use of the alumni mentor network, interviewing people from the work field, and shadowing/visiting companies in the context of a particular subject.

Employability in the master specialisation Economic and Consumer Psychology

In your programme, you will also find these employability elements.

Subject-specific and transferable skills
These skills are addressed in the various courses of the programme. Check the specific course descriptions in the study guide to see which skills are involved.

Examples of courses that pay attention to the other employability elements are:

Self-reflection

  • Internship

  • Relevant elective(s): Trainers Course Communication Skills

Practical experience

  • The Psychology of Media en Communication

  • Emotions and (Ir)Rationality in Economic Behaviour

  • The Psychology of Selling and Advertising

  • Academic Skills for Evidence-based Policy and Advise

  • Internship

  • Master Thesis

  • Relevant elective(s): Trainers Course Communication Skills

Labour market orientation

  • Internship

  • Relevant elective(s): Trainers Course Communication Skills; Environmental Psychology

Activities to prepare for the labour market outside the curriculum

Every year, various activities take place, within, alongside and outside of your study programme, which contribute to your preparation for the labour market, especially where it concerns orientation towards the work field/the labour market, (career) skills and self-reflection. These may be information meetings on decision moments within your programme, but also career workshops and events organised by your own programme, the faculty Career Service or your study association.

For example:

Career Service, LU Career Zone and career workshops calendar

Faculty Career Service
The Career Service of your faculty offers information and advice on study (re)orientation and master's choice, (study) career planning, orientation on the labour market and job applications.

Leiden University Career Zone Leiden University Career Zone is the website for students and alumni of Leiden University to support their (study) career. You can find advice, information, (career) tests and tools in the area of (study) career planning, career possibilities with your study, job market orientation, job applications, the Alumni Mentor network, job portal, workshops and events and career services.

Workshops and events
On the course calendar you will find an overview of career and application workshops, organised by the Career services.

Links: