Fashion Management MA

About the course

The fashion industry is a vibrant and challenging business environment. The Fashion Management MA is designed to accommodate a range of career opportunities within this sector, providing you with an advanced understanding of the global fashion industry.

The innovative programme is aimed at graduates with a fashion, textiles, design or business degree who wish to gain management knowledge, with the aim to become a manager within this sector. It will also provide a suitable progression route for those who have worked in the industry but want to improve their employment prospects to get to a higher level, as well as for those preparing for PhD study.

You will learn from a range of expert staff about the management practices which are specific to the fashion and textiles business, as well as the inclusion of fashion marketing and promotion techniques and brand management theories. You will graduate with an advanced understanding of the global fashion industry.

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Key facts

UKPASS code: W23073

Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time

Location: De Montfort University, Leicester

Start date: September 2013

Entry and admission criteria

You should have the equivalent of a 2:1 or above UK bachelor’s Honours degree in a related subject.

If you have other professional qualifications and a minimum of two years industry experience we will consider your application on an individual basis.

If English is not your first language, you must have an IELTS score of 6.0* or equivalent. English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

*From October 2014 you will require an IELTS score of 6.5

Teaching and assessment

The programme is delivered primarily through lectures and seminars as well as tutorial guidance. Lectures deliver a discourse on a particular subject followed by seminars which are used for holding discussions or for the exchanging of information in a smaller group. Tutorials are provided usually to discuss a subject on a one to one basis between the tutor and yourself; however you may find yourself in a small tutorial group to benefit from the contribution of others. Teaching consists of one hour lectures followed by one or two hour seminars or tutorials for each module.

The Fashion Management MA is a theoretical programme and assessments are mostly by the submission of fully referenced and structured reports. Presentations are also fundamental as an opportunity for you to present your work to others either for assessment or within a scheduled class activity. One module also includes the formulation of a weekly blog for you to keep abreast of topical issues and sometimes to provide a framework for seminar discussions, as well as being an assessed module component. You will be required to submit a project proposal which will act as your plan for future research, especially for the dissertation.

As a postgraduate student you will be expected to conduct a substantial amount of self-directed learning. This is important for you to contextualise your studies and to broaden your knowledge. It is the breadth and depth that will add so much to your work and your studies.

Through receiving feedback on your work, you will be able to reflect on aspects of your learning and develop an action plan that will help you to progress.

Course modules

Term one

Research Methods
You will develop your personal skills in critical thinking analysis and synthesis, including being able to identify assumptions, evaluate statements, detect false logic, identify implicit values, define terms adequately and generalise appropriately. You will research business and management issues through the application of appropriate quantitative and qualitative skills and also be able to create, evaluate and assess options, together with being able to apply ideas and knowledge to a range of situations.

Ethical and Sustainable Fashion
This module addresses your needs with the aim to work in fashion manufacturing or retail, providing future designers and buyers with a clear overview of the major sustainability issues within the industry. The impact of ethical and environmental considerations on designed products, garment production and business ideology will be analysed.

Integrated Brand Management
Aimed at students who want to be future brand managers, this module provides a practical exploration of branding and approaches to branding from both a business and design perspective. You will understand how brands are used to promote business both internally and externally, and apply the principles of a design audit to a brand of your choice in order to explore how it supports the business objectives.

Fashion Promotion and Marketing
This module addresses the needs of those aiming to work in fashion manufacturing or retail, providing those seeking a career in fashion management, marketing or branding with an in-depth understanding of key principles, tools and industry roles. The application of marketing theory to promotional opportunities that you identify will form an integral part of the module.

Term two

Global Fashion Management
This module focuses upon the management of the various activities involved within the global supply chain from product development through to delivery of the product. It investigates the management of all of the processes to ensure that the products are produced at the right time, in the correct quantities and are available by specified deadlines whilst working within tight budget constraints and ensuring the expected quality standards.

Term two options

Managing Business Web Presence
In this module it is acknowledged that web and internet environments are becoming the most accessible means of corporate interface and communication and vital for the success of business endeavours. It will advance your knowledge and understanding, and develop new skills to critically appraise web design and promotion along with related creative and management processes and production techniques in a business context.

Business Planning for Creative Entrepreneurs
People employed within a fashion management role need to have numerical and financial skills and some may even wish to establish their own business. This module provides the opportunity to develop a business proposal and business plan to realise those expectations.

Strategic Markets for Design in the Global Economy
Studying fashion management within a creative context provides the opportunity to analyse design as a driver for the strategic management and development of high technology businesses and this module considers its application. Management programmes focus on the study of organisations whether in the private, commercial, public or 'not for profit' sectors; their management and the changing external environment in which they operate; in this module you will focus on the use of design as a tool for change management and as a facilitator for behavioral change within organisations.

Term three

Dissertation
The course culminates in a Dissertation; a research project allowing you to focus on a specific subject area of your choice often focused upon a topic associated with future career objectives. This is an opportunity to deepen your knowledge and understanding to demonstrate your breadth of awareness to a prospective employer.

Academic expertise

The fashion and textile business is highly competitive and we encourage you to develop networking opportunities by becoming a student member of trade associations and to engage in conferences and seminars delivered by industry members. We expect you to be proactive and attend presentations provided by visitors from the fashion and textiles business to the university, as extra curricula activity.

Throughout the programme the curriculum is enhanced by visiting lectures from a variety of business experiences, where appropriate to the module curriculum.

Graduate careers

Due to the range and variety of modules within the programme and the knowledge and skills that you bring to the programme, there is a diverse choice of opportunities throughout the fashion supply chain which may include: fashion buying, fashion marketing, fashion public relations, merchandising and logistics management, management of the product development process, retail or brand management, product sourcing and supply chain management, e-commerce.

Graduates would also be in a strong position to consider developing a new business along with the support from the university’s business development unit.

Fees and funding

Fees and funding options for 2013/14 entry are still under review and are subject to change.

Full-time UK/EU Postgraduate courses fees £4,200 Students Equivalent or Lower Qualification Status* £5,000 International
Postgraduate courses fees £11,700 Part-time Part-time fees are charged on a credit basis, you will need to complete 180 credits over the course of an MA/MSc programme. 15 credits £350 Students Equivalent or Lower Qualification Status* 15 credits
£420 Continuation UK/EU Fee** £150 Continuation International Fee** £5000

For more information please take a look at our Funding|| section.

* ELQ Student definition - If you are a Home or EU status student and you already have a qualification at or above the level of the programme you wish to study from any country you will be considered as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) student. In 2008 the UK Government decided to stop funding universities for student in this situation and therefore the following fees will apply £5,000. Students from outside the EU are not affected by the policy.

** A fee that is charged on a periodic basis where Postgraduate or Research students need to extend their registration to complete the course.

Scholarships

Learn more about postgraduate funding and finance|

Facilities

The Faculty of Art, Design & Humanities has excellent and well-equipped accommodation. Group work and tutorials take place within a dedicated centre, enabling you to benefit from strong group cohesiveness and a vibrant multi-disciplinary graduate community. IT facilities include Mac, PC, CAD, graphics and multimedia labs, with software for drawing, multimedia, painting/DTP, 3D modelling, animation and video. The programme makes use of Lectra industrial apparel software as well as specialist textile testing facilities within the School of Fashion & Textiles.