Program Overview

Study Programme - Master Consumer Studies

The Master Consumer Studies programme focuses on consumers from the perspectives of lifestyles, consumer behavior, product design, economics, and communication science. The education has a multidisciplinary character by its relation with food sciences.

Programme Structure

Year 1

The programme courses in the first year are:

• Consumer Studies for Sustainability: Perspectives and Ethics
• Sensory Perception and Consumer Preference
• Consumer, Technology and Innovation
• Advanced Consumer Studies
• Advanced Quantitative Approaches for Consumer Studies (consisting of Advanced Survey Research and Advanced Experimental Studies) and/or Advanced Qualitative Approaches for Consumer Studies

Academic Consultancy Training

You also participate in the Academic Master Cluster, where teams of 5 to 7 students from different disciplines collaboratively work on a transdisciplinary-oriented academic consultancy project for an external commissioner.

Electives

The space for electives can be used for deepening or broadening knowledge on the field of interest of each individual student.

Year 2

Thesis

The thesis (individual research) consists of 24 weeks of research and reporting (36 credits). The research is conducted under supervision of a staff member of one of the chair groups related to this master programme.

Internship

The internship consists of 24 credits of project work in an institution outside of Wageningen University. The internship may either be undertaken in the Netherlands or abroad. The purpose of the internship is to provide students with a unique learning opportunity to apply acquired knowledge and skills in a professional setting. The experience gained from the internship also serves to help students focusing on their area of interest, as well as building confidence and maturity in their field.

Course Structure

The programme runs annually beginning in September each year. It comprises of 120 credit points (ECTS), equivalent to two academic years. The academic year consists of 6 periods. Period 1, 2, 5, and 6 comprise six weeks of classes, one week of self-study, and the exam week. In these periods, students often follow two courses worth 6 credits each. Period 3 and 4 entail four weeks in which both the lectures and the exams take place. In these periods, students follow one course worth 6 credits. The expected workload is 40 hours per week.