How to select the best Neuromarketing master? (Spain only)

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By the Bitbrain team

August 10, 2018

The offer for neuromarketing training has increased significantly in recent years. Selecting the correct education in accordance with your professional objectives is fundamental. Find out here some of the options in Spain.

Due to the increasing competitiveness of the market and empowerment of the consumer, brands and marketing professionals need to know their clients better. Explicit or declarative techniques utilized in marketing and traditional market investigation provide valuable information on what these consumers think or feel about specific products or advertising. However, with the technological advances and introduction of neuroscientific techniques, now we can also access the information that was previously impossible to obtain with declarative or observational methods (implicit investigation methods). In this context, neuromarketing has been consolidated as a complementary, indispensable method to analyze and comprehend the behavior, cognition, and emotion of consumers.

Delving into the factors that influence our behavior, such as customer purchase behavior, is exciting, and the exponential interest in pursuing education and training in this area is only a natural consequence. But the domain of this discipline is not limited to knowledge on the employed technologies, as it requires wide knowledge in cognitive sciences, scientific research, and marketing. Neuromarketing is a complex, multidisciplinary specialty that requires holistic preparation in all these areas.

This increasing interest of brands and market investigation companies on hiring experts in consumer neuroscience, along with the interest of future students has led to a broad offer of courses by business schools, universities and other institutions. Some of these courses count with the participation of Bitbrain as the market leading company in the development of neuromarketing technology and services. There are neuromarketing masters, graduate courses and general training, and the modalities include online, in-person and blended (in-class and online portions).

Your selection of where to study neuromarketing must depend on the level of depth of the knowledge you wish to acquire. Therefore, if you wish to really devote yourself to the field and work for a company dedicated to neuromarketing, you must search for a training program that contains, as a minimum, the following subjects:

Scientific research: you will learn how to execute experimental protocols, analyze and interpret results, besides learning how to interpret new findings on consumer neuroscience in related scientific studies.
Cognitive sciences: you will acquire basic knowledge that will help you understand the basic physiology of the nervous system as well as decision making processes and how these influence emotions or cognitive biases.
Marketing and publicity: you will learn the necessities of the consumer, of the brands, and the context; and therefore provide valuable learning and assist them in commercial strategies.
Traditional market investigation: this complements the nonconscious results of consumers with conscious results, obtained from the application of traditional market investigation techniques, such as focus groups, interviews, and surveys.
Neuromarketing techniques: and obviously, besides theoretical classes on neuromarketing techniques to measure, for example, brain activity or galvanic response, it is important to operate professional laboratories and execute pilot studies.

Also, at the time of searching and comparing different education offers, it is important to keep in mind the type of training considered (master, graduate course, basic courses, or a doctorate), and the modality (in-person, blended, or online). Although the main advantages of choosing an online course are related to the flexible study hours, it is important to understand that there are aspects you will hardly learn online, such as familiarization with technologies or development of experimentation. Therefore we consider the modality as an important aspect to evaluate in function of your professional objectives.

Other factors to consider include the institution offering the training, the profile of the professors (it is especially interesting to combine academics with neuromarketing professionals), the contents and study plans, the support tools and channels, and if in-person sessions are offered with instrumentation, supervised practical cases, or even the possibility of an internship within a company. The last, but not least important aspect is considering your background (strategic marketing, marketing and publicity, digital marketing, expert in social media, psychology, social sciences, human resources, engineering…) and where you intend to apply the acquired knowledge (marketing and communication, publicity agencies, market investigation, usability…). Depending on your profile and your expectations, you must focus on master courses that delve into specific content.

If you wish to know more about the basic knowledge required to be a good professional, we recommend you check out this post: 15 common questions asked by potential neuromarketing students.

List of Neuromarketing Masters in Spain

In-person training

Master in Neuromarketing (Cognition and consumer behavior investigation techniques) - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

This master course in neuromarketing and consumer behavior is offered in Bellaterra (Sant Cugat), province of Barcelona. The first part of the course lasts five months and is online, where basic theoretical training is provided to approach successfully the second part of the course, which is in-person. Several professors are available, along with experts that work for large corporations: brands such as Nestlé or international research companies such as Kantar TNS and Ipsos. Professors specialized in neuroscience, scientific investigation, publicity, communication, and marketing strategies will offer theoretical and practical training. It must be highlighted that, besides having the opportunity of operating neuromarketing laboratories in controlled and real settings, such as the Shopper lab from Ipsos, you can also undergo internships in hospitals with functional magnetic resonance (fRMI) and clinical EEGs. Each year, 25% of the course syllabus, teaching staff, and equipment are renewed. Virtual reality equipment is available.

Modality: blended (Barcelona).
Duration: 10 months
Techniques you can practice with: fMRI, EEG, GSR, ECG, Facial Coding, Eye-Trackers (Glasses and stationary) and virtual reality.
Company internships: Yes
Cost: 6,750€

This master course provides training in scientific research, cognitive sciences, marketing, publicity, and business. Basic training in traditional market techniques is also offered, although it is not the focus. Nevertheless, there are opportunities to carry out internships in market research companies such as Kantar, Ipsos, and others. Also, you can apply fMRI, EEG, GSR, ECG, facial coding and eye-trackers (glasses and stationary) techniques.

Master in Neuromarketing and Consumer Behavior - Universidad Complutense de Madrid

This academic course counts with the participation of Bitbrain and offers theoretical and practical training while employing the main neuromarketing tools (EEG, MEG, GSR, eye-tracking, facial coding). Different types of neuromarketing expert companies participate and the course takes place at the university as well as at the companies that support the program.

Modality: In-person (Madrid)
Duration: 9 months
Techniques you can practice with: EEG, MEG, GSR, Eye-tracking, Facial Coding.
Company internships: Yes
Cost: 3.800€

Training includes the subjects of scientific investigation, cognitive sciences, marketing and publicity, and traditional market investigation. The student can exercise neuromarketing techniques by employing EEG, MEG, GSR, Eye-tracking and Facial Coding.

Advanced University Course in Applied Neuromarketing - Universitat de Barcelona

The University of Barcelona offers a blended neuromarketing course with university degree, which includes Bitbrain as teaching staff. During this course, you will learn about the day-to-day of a neuromarketing investigation company, have the chance to experiment with technology, and learn with real practical cases that will provide significant learning. Due to the blended character of the course (in-class and online portions), there are national and international students attending.

Modality: Blended (Barcelona)
Duration: 5 months
Techniques you can practice with: EEG, GSR, ECG, eye-tracking
Company internships: No
Cost: 2.270€

Training covers the fields of scientific research, cognitive sciences, marketing, and publicity. You will be able to operate neuromarketing technologies such as EEG, GSR, ECG and eye-tracking devices.

Master in Applied Neuromarketing - Universidad de Granada

This is an in-person master, where training encompasses neuroscience applied to neuromarketing and in-lab experience with experts devoted to neuromarketing. You will operate technology such as EEG, fMRI, peripheric measurements, and eye tracking devices at the Mente y Cerebro research center.

Modality: in-class (Granada)
Duration: 7 months
Techniques you can practice with: EEG, fMRI, peripheric measurements, eye tracking devices
Company internships: Yes
Cost: 4.034€

Training is offered in scientific investigation, cognitive sciences, and marketing and advertising.

Neuromarketing Course - CEF (Centro de Estudios Financieros)

This course will help you understand the factors that influence decision making at the time of purchasing a product or perceive a brand. Regarding the techniques employed, this course is focused on eye-tracking devices only.

Modality: In-class (Madrid)
Duration: 3 months
Cost: 610€

Offers training in cognitive sciences and includes theoretical training on the different neuromarketing techniques, with practical sessions including eye-trackers.

Online training

Online Neuromarketing Courses

Master in Neuromarketing and Market Investigation - OBS Business School

Combines fundamental knowledge on market investigation with neuromarketing methodologies, ethnography, and digital market investigation systems. Offers additional activities such as marketing simulation with Markstrat, a neuromarketing laboratory that enables practical online sessions, webinars, and meetings (videoconferences where a series of lecturers share experiences in the design and management of marketing research projects).

Modality: Online
Duration: 10 months
Company internships: No
Cost: 6.500€

Offers practical training in scientific research, cognitive sciences, marketing, publicity, and traditional market investigation, and theoretical training on the different neuromarketing techniques.

Academic Master in Neuromarketing - UNIR (Universidad Internacional de La Rioja)

Provides the student with training to innovate in marketing and publicity strategy, encompassing the study of emotional and sensory processes that lead the consumer to purchase a product. Internships are offered in Spain and Latin America.

Modality: Online (in-person tests)
Duration: 10 months
Company internships: Yes (in-class or online)
Cost: 7.800€

Offers practical training in scientific research, cognitive sciences, marketing, publicity, and traditional market investigation, and theoretical training on the different neuromarketing techniques.

Master in Neuromarketing - INESEM Business School

This marter course provides training related to the application of neuroscience to the world of marketing and market investigation. This online course approaches theoretically the different techniques employed to obtain nondeclarative information from consumers and compare it with the information verbalized by study participants in focus groups, interviews and surveys.

Modality: Online
Duration: 12 months
Company internship: Yes (optional)
Cost: 1.970€

Offers practical training in scientific research, cognitive sciences, marketing, publicity, and traditional market investigation, and theoretical training on the different neuromarketing techniques.

Diploma of Specialization in Neuromarketing - Universitat Politècnica de València

This program offers practical sessions and real study cases, which are complemented by in-person optional activities and visits to companies.

Modality: Online, but there are optional in-person sessions available.
Duration: 3 months
Company internships: Yes (optional)
Cost: 2.995€

Offers practical training in scientific research, cognitive sciences, strategic marketing, marketing, publicity, and theoretical training on the different neuromarketing techniques, besides online practical sessions and real case studies.

These are only some of the many neuromarketing courses, masters, and graduate programs offered in Spain. If you wish to undertake an international course, the offer to study neuromarketing is considerably broader.

In any case, we recommend you to investigate the quality of the training advertized, and ensure that you will receive good education in scientific investigation, cognitive sciences, marketing and advertising, traditional market investigation and obviosuly, neuromarketing techniques.

At the time of choosing a program, always keep your objectives in mind: do you wish to simply break into the exciting world of consumer neuroscience or focus your professional career to this sector? In the first case, it would be sufficient to take an online neuromarketing course, but if your intention is to be a good professional, we suggest you investigate exhastively the different options and bet on a neuromarketing master or graduate program that is in-person.

Finally, you can complement your training with neuromarketing scientific studies, blogs, and videos or with internships in neuromarketing companies.

If you wish to be listed herein please send us a message: [email protected]

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