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33%
International students
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12,5 EC
Internship option
during first semester of the MA programme

Would you like to apply psychological knowledge creatively to everyday problems? In the Master’s programme Applied Cognitive Psychology, you will learn to apply knowledge of cognition and behaviour to situations and problems that occur in daily life.

About Applied Cognitive Psychology

During this one-year programme, you will learn about human information processing. That knowledge is useful for making signage or advertising more effective, for example, or for making products more user-friendly.

You will also learn to come up with solutions for a wide range of problems that can occur in professional practice. Humans are dramatically changing their environment using increasingly complex technology, such as the Internet, social media, robotics and automation. In order to design an environment that is well suited to human cognitive abilities, one should understand human perception, understanding and reasoning.

The Applied Cognitive Psychology Master’s programme offers you a variety of courses. You will learn how to formulate and solve practical problems in a scientific manner by attending these courses, doing an internship and writing a Master’s thesis. 

Study programme
Apply psychological knowledge creatively to everyday problems

How does this Master’s programme differentiate itself from similar programmes at other universities?

  • This programme has a strong empirical foundation. During the start of the master programme you will learn several important skills and techniques to quantify and qualify aspects of human behavioural and the physical context. These are important aspects of validation.
  • The programme deals with a wide range of problems, such as: communicating advertising messages, cockpit ergonomics, safety and the design of public space, and work load at the police hotline.
  • The programme has a strong connection with the work field, from small to large companies, and with basic science. Utrecht has considerable specialist knowledge on vision science, attention, and eye tracking.
  • The Master’s in Applied Cognitive Psychology at Utrecht University is limited in size, allowing students to have more intensive contact with the lecturers in their programme.

International orientation

This Master’s programme is internationally oriented, from the literature used in class to the opportunity to do an internship and write a thesis abroad, and from the option of attending electives at foreign universities to participating in international summer schools, research conferences or workshops.

Learn to work in multidisciplinary teams

Both our lecturers and our students have very diverse backgrounds. During the study programme, you will spend a lot of time learning to work in multi-disciplinary teams. Accurate and careful communication is vital to that process.

Humans are dramatically changing their environment using increasingly complex technology

The purpose of the programme

Once you have completed the Master’s programme, you will be a true academic professional who can apply scientific knowledge, such as acting as an independent consultant on ergonomic problems. As a member of an interdisciplinary team, you will contribute to solving these problems together with designers, policy makers, technicians, computer scientists and business experts. You can also advise on the sensory aspects of marketing communications. You will also have developed excellent verbal and written communication skills to communicate with all sorts of audiences.

View of Korte Jansstreet and the Dom Church

World-class university in a lively student city

Choosing Utrecht University means choosing one of the best universities in the country with several renowned international rankings  and twelve Nobel Prize laureates

Located in the middle of the Netherlands, Utrecht is a medieval city with a centre small enough to explore on foot, yet large enough to host world-class festivals, fashionable shops, modern architecture and fascinating museums. Find more about what student life is like in Utrecht! 

 

 

 

Key facts

Degree: 
Psychology (MSc)
Language of instruction: 
English
Mode of study: 
Full-time
Study duration: 
1 year
Start: 
September
Deadline: 

Check the deadline that applies to you 

Tuition fees: 
Dutch and other EU/EEA students (statutory fee, full-time) 2024-2025: € 2,530

Non-EU/EEA students (institutional fee) 2024-2025: € 20,043

More information about fees
Croho code: 
66604
Accreditation: 
Accredited by the NVAO
Faculty: 
Social and Behavioural Sciences
Graduate school: 
Social and Behavioural Sciences