Understand the psychology behind business decision making with this degree program
Behavioral Economics is a field of study that draws from Economics and Psychology to explain how and why people behave in the real world. Behavioral Economics analyzes the ways in which humans make decisions, the psychology behind decision-making, and how this affects consumer behavior and consumption. This can be distinguished from traditional economics, where people are treated as purely rational actors who have perfect self-control and laser-like focus on their long-term goals. Conversely, Behavioral Economics examines the instincts, biases, emotions and cognitive heuristics which contribute to the decisions that people actually make, rather than the decisions that classical economics predict. Students who study a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Behavioral Economics at the University of New York in Prague will learn to use techniques and information from the field of psychology to consider people as actors who are subject to impulsivity and emotion, influenced by their respective circumstances and backgrounds.
"Behavioral Economics examines the instincts, biases, emotions and cognitive heuristics which contribute to the decisions that people actually make."
Studying Behavioral Economics will give students skills and background knowledge that they can adapt to future careers in a diverse range of fields. Corporations, NGOs and governments increasingly use behavioral economics to shape their policies, and the theories have been applied to business, law enforcement, politics, and socio-cultural dynamics. Behavioral economists can be found working as government consultants nudging citizens to make better choices, as corporate strategists plotting out better ways to negotiate, or in finance designing better portfolios. If humans do it, behavioral economists can improve it.
There are two paths for students studying a Behavioral Economics concentration within a Business Administration degree. The first path would be for students that want to enroll in the 3-year European program leading to a bachelor’s degree (bakalář, Bc.) awarded by UNYP and accredited by the American International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), and the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education (NAÚ). Alternatively, students that want an American degree as well as the UNYP degree must be enrolled in the State University of New York, ESC and UNYP Dual degree program. In either path, to obtain the concentration in Behavioral Economics, students must obtain 12 credits (24 ECTS credits) in courses from the list of the concentration subjects; select a topic for the bachelor thesis in a topic related to the concentration focus; and succeed in the Czech State Exam and earning the UNYP bachelor’s degree. The name of the concentration will appear in the UNYP Diploma Supplement along with the specification of the Major.
