Published 2012-02-07T21:59:00Z”/>

Dani Anguiano

A master’s degree program gives applicants the opportunity to visualize themselves abroad. 

Unlike others, the international master’s program in cognitive visualization allows students to earn two master’s degrees in the time it normally takes to complete one.

During the two-year program, students spend the first year abroad at the University of Grenoble in France and the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany, said Neil Schwartz, a professor of psychology, one of the program developers and the U.S. coordinator of the international program.

“I realized that people who work in these fields, in advertising and publishing, don’t understand how the mind processes these materials,” Schwartz said. “People forget what they hear, but not what they see.”

Cognitive visualization is the way the brain interprets visual stimuli, said Jon Fields, a senior psychology major.

The program appeals to many psychology majors like junior Connor Heykes.

“The two degrees are an obvious bonus, but there is also the advantage of working in a wide array of places,” Heykes said. “I could see how this would be useful for me when I go onto clinical psychology.”

The study abroad portion of the program is required and can help draw in students of other studies, like James Gibbs, a sophomore music industry and technology major.

“We’re entering an age of globalization,” Gibbs said. “It’s not only important but necessary to know other cultures. I feel this program could be useful for everyone, even me as a music industry major.”

Studying abroad gives students greater independence and self-awareness while allowing them to learn more about other cultures, said Jennifer Gruber, an adviser in the Office of International Education.

“Most students don’t do study abroad,” Gruber said. “Having study abroad on your resume allows you to market yourself.”

Six applicants in the U.S. will be selected for the program’s second group of students, who will begin the program in fall 2012. The deadline to apply is March 1.

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<strong>Dani Anguiano can be reached at

</strong><em>[email protected]

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