Master of Science in 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 program in cognitive psychology with interdisciplinary training in psychology, neuroscience, health communication, organizational behavior, and management.

The program 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 behaviors, 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 to the program 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 behavior in research labs, clinical departments, health frameworks, and companies.

A central goal of this program 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 environments including health psychology, communication, management, and marketing.

Awarded degree

After successful completion of their studies, students will obtain the "Master of Science in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication" from Università della Svizzera Italiana and from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.

The degree does not automatically grant the right to practice as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in Switzerland and Italy. Admissions to specialization programs will be subjected to the relevant Cantonal, Federal, and State regulations and to the individual school admission requirements.