Master in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication

The Master in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication is a joint programme 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).
The programme offers a Master's degree in cognitive psychology with interdisciplinary training in psychology, neuroscience, health communication, organizational behaviour and management. The focus of the programme is on the intersection between the theoretical foundations of cognitive psychology and communication applied in the context of health.

Cognitive psychology is the study of all mental processes that drive simple or complex behaviours, both normal or pathological. These processes include verbal and non-verbal forms of communication, implicit and explicit memory, perception, attention, consciousness, problem-solving, decision making, gratification, and more. Students admitted to the programme will receive advanced theoretical training in neuroscience and modern psychology, learn advanced research methods in psychology and health communication, and gain knowledge of various statistical techniques and tools for analyzing human behaviour in research labs, clinical departments, health frameworks, and companies.

The central goal of this programme is to familiarize students with the latest research and practices in these areas and help them translate and apply this knowledge in various working environments, including health psychology, communication, management, and marketing.

Awarded degree

Upon successful completion of their studies, students will be awarded the Master of Science in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication degree from the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (UniSR). This degree is fully recognized as a Master's Degree in Psychology in both Italy and Switzerland, providing students with access to a wide range of career opportunities in Psychology in both countries.

In Italy, the Master's degree grants access to the Psychological Professional Association Registry (Ordine degli Psicologi). Students enrolled before 2023/2024 will gain access to the registry after successfully completing the mandatory internship and passing the exam to become a licensed psychologist.

For students enrolled from 2023/2024 academic year onwards, the two-year Master's programme offers numerous opportunities for internships (Tirocinio Pratico Valutativo) with various external partners in Switzerland and Italy. The internship is valid for the final interview to become a licensed psychologist under the Italian reform (see Decreto DM 554 06.06.2022, D. Interm. N567 20.06.2022, D. Interm n654 05.07.2022).

The Master's programme has also been included in the Europsy circuit, which is a quality certification based on European standards of academic and professional training developed by EFPA (European Federation of Psychologists' Associations). Therefore, the Master's degree is fully recognized in all European countries.

In Switzerland, the Master's degree has been formally recognized by the Commission for the Study of Psychology at Swiss Universities (KPSYCH) and the Ticino Cantonal regulations. Thus, the Master's degree provides access to internships for clinical psychologists in the health sector and to schools of psychotherapy.