MSc in Consumer Psychology

MSc in Consumer Psychology

Consumer psychology is the study of how we relate to the transaction of goods and services we use every day. In the MSc in Consumer Psychology, we train students to become practical and powerful problem-solvers in a variety of industry and organisational contexts. You will be ready to identify insights from consumer theory and data analysis and you will be conscious of the constraints on solutions (cultural concerns, sustainability) in your context. 

Looking to hire? 

Our students take on a 12-week internship beginning in late April each year.  

If your organisation could benefit from practical consumer/user insights and data analytics, then please contact our placement officer, Maeve Daly, to learn more. 

Introduction 

Our interdisciplinary programme is based in the School of Psychology at University of Galway and integrates contributions from our Ideas Lab, the Irish Centre for High Performance Computing and the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics. You will work on global virtual teams solving business problems through X-Culture and learn from guest lecturers from local and international companies and organisations. 

 We help you to learn how to identify and communicate decision-grade information and tangible solutions. This will empower you to improve yourself, your organization and society. Our graduates work in a variety of settings including consumer research, sales, recruitment. 

Entry requirements: 

Unfortunately, we are not accepting applications for the MSc in Consumer Psychology for the academic year 2025-2026. You can keep up to date on the programme by following Dr Denis O’Hora on LinkedIn. 

Further Information/Enquiries to: 

Dr Denis O’Hora, School of Psychology,  

Tel +353 91 49 5126  

Email: denis.ohora@universityofgalway.ie 

Graduate Attributes 

Our students are 

Practical and powerful problem-solvers informed by consumer theory and data insights and contextual constraints (local and global, short-term and long-term), who communicate decision-grade information and tangible solutions, who seek out opportunities to improve themselves, their organization and society. 

In order for us to make the foregoing vision a reality, we distilled 7 graduate attributes that each of our courses addresses in different ways. These are:  

1. Critical appreciation of psychological theory relevant to consumers  
2. Expertise in data collection, management, analysis and communication  
3. Nuanced awareness of the constraints of context  
4. Competence in the common tools of commercial and non-commercial organisations  
5. Knowledge of their own strengths and weaknesses  
6. Confidence and competence in identifying and requesting support  
7. Capable of and committed to positive long-term societal, cultural and environmental impact  

Program outline: 

To facilitate our vision, the Consumer Psychology programme has three pillars: consumer insight, data analytics and work-based learning.  

Consumer insights: Our students study the psychology of consumers (including end users, buyers, volunteers and stakeholders), the science of decision making and the role that culture (country, group) and context (B2C, B2B) play in consumer’s behaviour. 

Data analytics: Our students work on data management, cleaning, structuring, visualisation and a variety of statistical analyses across two modules. Statistical analyses range from simple analytics to complex regression and cluster analysis. 

Work-based learning: Our core focus is on building enlightened problem solvers who provide decision-grade information. Our students work on global virtual teams solving market entry problems for international companies with x-culture, then proceed to a work-based project in which they analyse data and provide consulting reports before finally engaging in a four-month internship in which they test their skills in the workplace. 

Class of 2025 

Why study this program? 

Data-driven decision making is critical in today’s economy. Consumer psychology is the study of how we relate to the transaction of goods and services we use every day. How do we decide to purchase a particular item? Are we willing to pay for a service? How does advertising affect our response to a new or established product? Do consumers make better choices when provided with clearer information? 

Nesta (2017) forecasted the skills needed in the future industrial marketplace in The future of skills: Employment in 2030. They emphasised the role of interpersonal skills, higher-order cognitive skills and systems skills and related knowledge, such as psychology and anthropology. They also highlighted skills related to system thinking — the ability to recognise, understand and act on interconnections and feedback loops in sociotechnical systems — such as judgement and decision making, systems analysis and systems evaluation. 

Understanding consumer behaviour is crucial to the success of any enterprise whether commercial or non-profit. It requires knowledge of consumer psychology theories, collecting and interpreting consumer data and opinions and developing meaningful interactions with consumers. The MSc in Consumer Psychology will provide you with an important competitive advantage: the ability to make and support more insightful business decisions that integrate a deeper understanding of human psychology.  

Testimonials 

If you like to know more about the interchange between Marketing and Psychology, enrolling in the MSc of Consumer Psychology is probably one of the best decisions you can make. The programme gave me significant capabilities in a variety of topics: it introduced me to the fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology, Data-analytics, Corporate Responsibility and more. As we consistently connected to people working in a range of industries, I could learn more about possible careers with high-skilled individuals. This course is thoughtful, innovative and modern. And I could not recommend it more.   Duarte Peixoto, Startup Braga, Portugal  (Class of 2022)

I was in the first cohort of the MSC in Consumer Psychology and found the course really engaging and helped me to focus on how I could use what I had learned in my undergraduate studies in a corporate setting.  

The smaller class sizes were a huge benefit as they allowed us to really engage with the material by creating an environment where discourse and questions were encouraged, with an emphasis on discussing how we could relate to the content from our own observations and experiences. 

I use many of the concepts that I have learned from the MSC in my current role in the Financial Services Industry. I have had the opportunity to take part in agile squads and projects where I could contribute the knowledge and expertise that I have gained in the MSC to real-life customer situations. In the near future, I can see many job opportunities for psychologists and behavioural scientists in day-to-day business operations, which makes this course very exciting. The benefits of Behavioural Science in B2C businesses have become more influential and focused. Even in the short time I have been working in this environment, there is a strong emphasis on how customer-focused design, market segmentation, and human decision-making impact the customer journey.  

A big part of the MSC is getting comfortable analysing large data sets which were invaluable, as a large part of my job is analysing data and trends to make recommendations and changes within my organization.  

I am really glad that I did this course and have recommended it to many people with an interest in consumer behaviour. 

Emily Atkinson, RSA Insurance (Class of 2022)