Fashion Management and Marketing MA

Fashion Management with Marketing MA/MSc

Aligned with a range of exciting career opportunities within the global fashion industry, our course will equip you with the advanced skills, agility and resilience to respond to the ever-changing challenges and opportunities in this fast-paced sector.

Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive community. That’s why most of our postgraduate taught students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You will benefit from more regular assessments and feedback, a better study-life balance, and a simplified timetable that provides more time for work, professional development, caring responsibilities, and everything else that's important to you. Our block-taught courses are informed by industry practice, often accredited by professional bodies, and are delivered by passionate and talented academics, who will help you develop the skills to achieve your goals.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

This course is ideal for graduates with a fashion, textiles or business degree who aspire to a fulfilling career as a leader where you can set the pace and direction within this broad and competitive sector. Our programme aims to equip you with the specialist skills and real-world expertise you need to confidently offer creative solutions to industry challenges.  

Learn key strategies for fashion marketing and gain a thorough understanding of integrated brand management by exploring sensory, emotional and spiritual branding. You will advance your understanding of how products are developed to commercial quality standards from concept to production by focusing on sourcing approaches, critical path management and customer analysis.  

Examine the impact of ethical and environmental considerations on designed products, garment production and business ideology and develop your own critical position on the major sustainability issues facing the sector. 

Our teaching experts are at the forefront of commercial and research activities, ensuring the latest practice informs the curriculum and that your work is responding to contemporary industry issues. Your learning will culminate in a major project that allows you to contextualise your studies and support your career aspirations, with the option to develop your work into an MSc qualification depending on the technical focus of your project.

Key features

  • You can be awarded an MA or MSc depending on your route through your studies and final Major Project. You can also exit the course with a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate award depending on the credits you have successfully achieved.
  • We are recognised as one of the country’s most sustainable fashion and textiles schools (Green Gown Awards, 2021) and one of the best fashion schools in the world for 2022 (CEOWORLD, 2022).
  • Develop a technical understanding of the fashion industry, combined with a solid foundation of management principles and customer marketing 
  • Benefit from the expertise of our highly experienced academics and valuable insights of guest lectures from leading professionals in the sector  
  • Undertake a work-based project in a real-world setting to develop your chosen specialism, while putting your skills into practice at a professional level 
  • Take an optional year-long work placement to gain essential practical experience to set you apart from the crowd in this competitive sector 
  • Join our close-knit interdisciplinary community which fosters a supportive learning environment for students from around the world 
  • The award-winning  Vijay Patel Building  provides both the space and the facilities to foster creative thinking, where ideas can develop and flourish for all of our art and design students. 

Talk to our course team

If you would like to find out more about how this course can help you achieve your career ambitions, send a message to our course team [Dr Sara Lara Marquez-Gallardo] who would be happy to chat to you. Alternatively, you can register for our next postgraduate event or call our course enquirers team on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70  / WhatsApp: 0797 0655 800.


Scholarships:

DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International Scholarships

Find out about available scholarships and country specific fee discounts for international students. 

 

More courses like this:

Design Innovation and Management MA/MSc
Fashion and Textiles MA

DMU has been shortlisted for the Postgraduate Award in the 2024 Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs), as voted for by students.

  • UK
  • EU/International

Programme code: 
September: W23076
January: W23079

Start date: September and January

Duration:
September: 12 months
January: 16 months

Fees and funding 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,435 (full-time) per year.

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

 

Programme code: W23076

Start date: January and September 

Duration: September: 12 months January: 16 months

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for EU and international students: £15,800 per year

Find out more about course fees and available funding

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements 

You should have the equivalent or above of a 2:2 UK bachelor’s honours degree in a relevant subject, for example fashion, design or business.

If you have other professional qualifications and industry experience, we will consider your application on an individual basis.

Interview

Non-standard applicants will be invited to attend an interview.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

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.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

Awards and memberships

 

Modules

Block 1: Global Fashion Management

This module focuses on the fashion product development process from concept design and development through the sourcing process to eventual delivery and consumption. The module combines the theoretical strategies of global sourcing, critical path management and customer analysis with practical experience of the processes required to develop and deliver a product to commercial quality standards. It examines the management of processes and technologies that ensure that optimum products are produced responsibly, with efficiency and agility whilst working within tight budget constraints. The module reflects on future market and industry trends and developments to develop a forward-thinking vision of the contemporary global fashion industry.

You will be encouraged to examine contemporary retail and supply practices by engaging in live research and will also gain industry knowledge from guest speakers.

Block 2: Research Methods with Cultural Context

In the module you will be introduced to advanced research skills. You will consider the role of research within the context of design/ fashion management and reflect on your personal attributes, skills and values as a contemporary researcher. Typical content will include research design; gathering, managing, and analysing data; developing critical and ethical practices; and reporting and presenting research findings.

You will also be introduced to material culture theory on the semiotics of design/ products, on issues of cultural, gender and individual identity, of status and social positioning and of disability and the body. This will enable you to apply these concepts within your individual research and projects.

Block 3: Sustainability Strategy and Design

Debates surrounding sustainability have become increasingly prominent due to greater awareness among consumers of environmental and ethical issues, as well as initiatives by many companies to improve their sustainable credentials. This module examines key historical and contemporary contexts relating to sustainable design and corporate strategy, unpicking the complex debates surrounding a range of issues from worker’s rights to product lifecycles. Alternative perspectives on the traditional production and consumption model will be introduced, and both practical and conceptual aspects considered.

This module addresses the needs of students aiming to work in design, manufacturing or retail, providing future managers and entrepreneurs with a clear overview of the major sustainability issues within their industry. The impact of ethical and environmental considerations on designed products, production and business ideology will be analysed. It will cover sustainable development, ethical supply chains, corporate sustainability strategy, circular economy, slow fashion/lifestyle design, lifecycle analysis, alternative production and consumption models, integrated system design/ sustainable innovation, climate change, biodiversity, toxicity and sustainable resources.

Block 4: Business and Marketing Strategies

The manoeuvring of a creative concept to market using business and financial skills is crucial to the success of the Creative Entrepreneur. Confident handling of commercial and creative theoretical and practical tools forms a major part of the activities of the entrepreneur. On this module you will identify potential for a new product/service/experience and mobilize the necessary business resources to realise your ideas. This knowledge will include an understanding of marketing and corporate strategy, the value offering and value structure, industry analysis, competitive positioning, blue ocean theory, innovation, analysis of particular markets (including PESTEL and consumer behaviour) and financial planning.

You will contextualise your concept by analysing the relevant industrial structure, business environment, competition, and consumer behaviour; and on this basis establish a finely evolved and market positioned business strategy with financial projections in a business plan. You will present this in the form of a market analysis and business plan produced to a professional standard.

Blocks 5 and 6: Select one from the following:

Work-based Project

This module provides the opportunity to develop and demonstrate skills acquired from the course in a practical context - for example working with a fashion, textile or design company on the development of a prototype innovation. It is anticipated that this work-based live project will include experience of working on the design or development of products within an area of fashion, textiles or design. You will bring together all aspects of the course ranging from research methodologies to discipline-specific modules. This work-based project will receive supervision from the host organisation and the university and outcomes will be negotiated and may include a mix of a research reports for the host and/or plans.

Dissertation

Your learning will culminate in a dissertation on a research topic of your own choosing. You will demonstrate your ability to use initiative and ingenuity, make complex decisions and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level.

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Overview

The programme is delivered mainly through lectures and seminars and 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 one-to-one between the tutor and yourself; however, you may find yourself in a small tutorial group to benefit from others' contribution.

The Fashion Management with Marketing 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.

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.

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-curricular activity.

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

Contact hours
In your first two terms you will normally attend around 12 hours of timetabled taught sessions including lectures, tutorials and workshop and studio sessions each week, and be expected to undertake at least 23 hours of independent study each week. Your third term will be pre-dominantly self-directed (including meetings with your supervisor), during which you can expect to undertake 35 hours of independent study each week.

 

 

Ranked as one of the best fashion schools in the world for 2022 (CEOWORLD, 2022) and in the top 10 in the UK for 'career after 15 months' (The Guardian University Guide 2022), our innovative and widely-respected courses help prepare students for fulfilling futures in this fast-paced industry.

Green Gown Award

The School of Fashion and Textiles won the Next Generation Learning and Skills Award in the Green Gowns Awards 2021 and received global recognition in the International Green Gown Awards 2022. These awards are the gold standard for sustainability in universities around the world and this puts DMU at the forefront of sustainable fashion and textiles education in the UK. Sustainability is at the heart of our curriculum and teaching, empowering our students to be agents of change within the industry.

UK Fashion and Textiles Association

We are members of the UK Fashion and Textile Association which ensures our teaching stays up to date with the latest developments in the sector and provides valuable industry links that enhance our courses.

green-gown
UKFT partner logo

Facilities and features

Art and design facilities

Our award-winning Vijay Patel building has been designed to provide the space and facilities where all of our art and design students can develop their ideas and flourish. 

The creative industries require imaginative graduates who can develop new ideas and products. Students use our sophisticated and contemporary workshops, labs and studios to experiment and test in the same way they will in industry, while the open and transparent spaces in the building encourage collaboration between disciplines. In doing so, the building prepares students for industry and helps develop them as future leaders in their respective fields. 

Take a look at our stunning showcase of the building at dmu.ac.uk/aad.

 

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

 

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

 

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Enterprise

During this course you will have the option to complete a paid placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career. Placements will normally take place between semester two and three. 

Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement. 

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DMU Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

 

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Graduate careers

This programme will equip you with a breadth of knowledge and skills applicable to a diverse choice of career opportunities within the fashion industry, including buying, marketing, public relations, merchandising and logistics management, management of the product development process, retail or brand management, product sourcing and supply chain management, and e-commerce. 

Previous graduates have gone on to careers in buying at Sainsburys, at leading footwear company Bata in India, and progressed onto a PhD.
 
Graduates considering developing a new business will have access to enterprise support from our Careers Team, our comprehensive careers programme. 

Take your next steps