Consumer and Advertising Psychology Degree Programs

Consumer psychology is the study of how people relate to the goods and services they use in their daily lives. This field of studies is also known as the study of consumer behavior. Consumer psychology provides opportunities to examine issues such as what factors are most important when people decide to purchase a particular item, how customers determine the value of a service, and whether or not television and magazine advertisements can convince a reluctant consumer to try a new product for the first time.

Goal of Consumer Psychology

Consumer Psychology and Behavior

The goal of Consumer Psychology research is to explain consumers’ preferences and discover effective ways to influence consumer behavior. Consumer psychologists use tools like surveys, experiments and focus groups to scientifically research what motivates buyers and discover how consumers determine the value of products.

Career in Advertising and Marketing Industry

Most Consumer Psychology jobs are in the advertising and marketing industry. Consumer psychologists can be educators, consultants, managers, and policy makers. They can work as researchers for universities or private companies. Graduates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Consumer Psychology and related disciplines tend to work for private companies, while an employee with a Ph.D. in Consumer Psychology is qualified to pursue a career as a researcher at a university.

Although specific job responsibilities for consumer psychologists vary depending on the work setting, nearly all Consumer Psychology jobs involve collecting data about consumers, analyzing it and making recommendations based on the results.

Degrees in Consumer Psychology in Business Schools

Nowadays degrees in consumer psychology are provided through various business schools and psychology departments throughout the USA.

Online Degree Programs

• Chicago School of Professional Psychology – Master of Arts in Consumer Psychology

Bachelor’s of Science

Read more about bachelor’s degree in psychology.

If you get a bachelor’s of science (BS) in consumer psychology, you may obtain several different career options. Studies include but are not limited to liberal arts courses including math and English, general psychology, sociology and electives in studying marketing and consumers. Although the B.S. is lowest form of a consumer psychology degree, graduates are most commonly found in advertising. Within advertising, the graduate can help a company target and appropriately market to a specific group of people.
There are other career areas for a B.S. graduate that include public affairs, education, business, sales and some areas within service industries.

Master’s Degree

Read more about master’s degree in psychology.

Consumer Psychology Degree

If you want to continue your education, you should pursue a master’s degree in consumer psychology. You may focus on a more generalized area of psychology, such as general or industrial psychology, with a specialty in consumer psychology. Studies include general psychology, marketing research, sociological courses studying demographics, psychology in marketing, various related research courses and other electives. Master’s level students usually intern at various companies in the role of a consumer psychologist.

There are a few schools that offer a master’s level degree in consumer psychology. So many students seek a degree within other aspects of the field, including those that allow the student to focus on advertising and marketing.

Ph.D. in Consumer Behavior and Psychology

Read more about PhD degree in psychology.

If you want to study at the highest degree level of consumer psychology, Ph.D. program in consumer psychology is available. Although the Ph.D. program focuses on much the same as the lower degrees, studies are more in depth.

Students take research courses, electives, sociology and psychology courses that focus on consumers and their behavior and others. It’s very important to underline that much of the Ph.D. program is hands-on, where students intern with practicing consumer psychologists to gain a better understanding and actually begin working in their future career. Ph.D. level graduates are heavily relied upon by the companies they work for in all aspects of marketing.

Employees consult with the consumer psychologist whenever beginning an advertising campaign to assure the target demographic is being properly addressed.

Besides, the consumer psychologists assist the research department by offering different angles and approaches in order to market more effectively. Many Ph.D. graduates have assistants with lower degree who may help with various forms of research on demographics and other consumer related studies.