Fashion Communication - MA
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.
MA Fashion Communication aims to give you the knowledge, skills and experience to launch your career in the fashion and beauty industry. You will choose one of 3 areas to specialise in: MA Fashion Communication: Marketing, MA Fashion Communication: Cosmetics Branding and Marketing and MA Fashion Communication: Styling and Creative Direction....
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Award MA
- Start date September 2025
- Fees View course fees
- Subject
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
MA Fashion Communication aims to give you the knowledge, skills and experience to launch your career in the fashion and beauty industry.
You will choose one of 3 areas to specialise in: MA Fashion Communication: Marketing, MA Fashion Communication: Cosmetics Branding and Marketing and MA Fashion Communication: Styling and Creative Direction.
Each specialism has specialism specific seminars within shared modules that allow you to focus your research and outputs on your chosen area and collaborate with students from across MA Fashion Communication.
The first term is shared to allow you to experience each specialism, and you can confirm or change your specialism at the end of term 1. You will develop knowledge and skills in analysing fashion and beauty campaigns, visual communication, technical production, and research methods.
In term 2 you put these skills to use by creating collaborative and industry focused campaigns relevant to your chosen specialism. Term 3 is the culmination of your studies in which you create your final major project and prepare for your entry into the industry. Specialisms are achieved through the work you produce and briefs you choose within shared and optional modules.
Active participation in debates about the future of the fashion and beauty industry is encouraged. You'll explore pivotal issues such as sustainability, diversity, and digital technology, to propose future focused creative solutions.
In all specialisms you will learn to harness the power of compelling storytelling, visual aesthetics, and consumer research, to effectively engage audiences and drive impactful brand narratives. Adopting an international approach, you will be encouraged to reflect on your own heritage, culture, and positionality to promote cross cultural dialogue and peer to peer learning, helping you to become a professional capable of navigating the global landscape of the fashion and cosmetics industry.
This course is suitable for both recent graduates and qualified mature students who aim to work in the fashion and beauty industry. Whilst a related fashion, creative or business degree is useful, it is not essential to join the course.
MA Fashion Communication will prepare you for careers such as fashion and beauty PR, fashion and beauty marketing, fashion styling and creative direction, advertising, trend prediction, social media management, visual merchandising, brand management and the development of future fashion and beauty entrepreneurs.
MA Fashion Communication: Marketing
If you choose to specialise in Marketing as part of this masters, you will explore the following:
- Strategic Creativity: Blend creative communication with strategic marketing to bridge the gap between innovation and consumer behaviour.
- Comprehensive Exploration: Analyse fashion marketing strategies, consumer behaviour, and media while creating compelling written, visual, and digital content.
- Practical Application: Use InDesign and other industry tools to develop promotional campaigns, fashion films, retail activations, and more.
You might have a fashion communications or design background, or you might have an unrelated degree and want to gain the skills to work in this exciting area of the fashion industry.
MA Fashion Communication: Cosmetics Branding and Marketing
If you choose to specialise in Cosmetics Branding and Marketing as part of this masters, you will explore the following:
- Beauty Industry Expertise: Immerse yourself in the world of cosmetics, from skincare to fragrance, understanding consumer behaviour and market trends.
- Brand Narratives: Analyse beauty brands' strategies to create compelling narratives and visual content.
- Industry Insights: Learn from experts and attend professional events, gaining practical skills in photography, 3D printing, and Adobe software to design standout marketing communications and packaging.
Students come to this specialism from a variety of backgrounds. You might have completed a first degree in cosmetics science and want to learn more about marketing and promotion, you might be a graphic designer interested in breaking into the beauty industry, you may have previously studied fashion communication and want to focus on cosmetics. Or, you might be a hairdresser, make-up artist or aesthetic practitioner who wants to start their own business.
MA Fashion Communication: Styling and Creative Direction
If you choose to specialise in Styling and Creative Direction as part of this masters, you will explore the following:
- Visual Language Mastery: Develop your unique visual language, becoming a forward-thinking image maker, stylist, or creative director.
- Studio Time: Explore practical styling techniques using the BCU photography studios
- Creative Collaboration: Produce editorial styling, promotional campaigns, and digital content, working alongside student photographers, designers, and creatives.
You will probably have come from a creative course, for example previous students have trained in fashion design, photography, graphic design, styling, communications, and promotion.
What's covered in this course?
This course covers a range of skills and learning:
Industry Knowledge
You will gain knowledge of the fashion and cosmetics communication landscape and the various functions within them. You also will gain understanding of the critical issues facing the fashion and beauty industry.
Practical Skills
You will explore practical technical skills such as managing photoshoots, working with photographic/video equipment and editing using Adobe software in workshops and studio spaces with lecturers, technicians, and industry guests.
Research and Ideation
You’ll be supported to develop research and ideation skills alongside the understanding and application of theoretical, critical, and analytical skills.
Career Development
Throughout the course you are encouraged to create a professional online presence and supported to develop CVs, search for work experience and effectively promote yourself.
Staff with Industry Experience
Led by staff with industry experience across fashion marketing, beauty, social media, styling and product development with visits from industry speakers from a variety of roles.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities
In partnership with our enterprise team at STEAMhouse the course includes the option to complete a mini start up course and eligibility for the pre-incubator business space.
Experiential Learning and Authentic Assessment
You will learn by doing and the assessments will mirror the work you might create in industry. Take advantage of organised trips to trade shows, exhibitions, and inspirational cities.
Examples of Assessments:
- Portfolios
- Verbal presentations
- Written reports
- Look books
- Magazines
- Films
- Social media content
- Podcasts
- Brand campaigns (digital and print)
I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your incredible guidance and support throughout my MA. The experience has been truly wonderful. I’ve already started to see how much I learned over the past year in my current internship. Finally, I understand emphasis you put on narrative and visuals. I ’m currently working as a marketing intern for Hairdressers Journal and Modern Barber, it's so fascinating to work for a magazine I referenced throughout my MA.
Preeti Bhandari – MA Fashion Communications (Cosmetics Branding and Marketing)
Why Choose Us?
- Links to industry and the option to complete live briefs or work experience. Previous collaborations have included Another Magazine, Kiehls, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges
- Supportive staff with years of industry experience at Next, Elle Decoration and Fenwick
- Access to facilities such as photography and film studios and 3D printing
- Sessions to enable you to use industry standard Adobe software such as InDesign and Photoshop
- Collaborate with other fashion students and our wider postgraduate community to create an exhibition of your work
OPEN DAY
Join us for a Virtual Open Event where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, meet our subject academics and learn more about postgraduate finance, all from the comfort of your own home.
Next Event: 5 February 2025
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
Applicants are normally expected to have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent, in any subject.
We also welcome applications from individuals who may not satisfy the normal entry requirements, but have equivalent qualifications and experience. These will be considered on an individual basis.
Applying with international qualifications
See below for further information on applying as an international student.
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £10,000 in 2025/26
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £11,000 in 2025/26
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £18,600 in 2025/26
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £20,460 in 2025/26
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Modules
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 160 credits):
Whether you are a stylist, beauty brand manager or fashion communications specialist and understanding of the marketing theories and practices used by fashion and beauty brands is essential. The module will introduce you to key marketing theories and models, which will be used analyse past and present case studies from your specialism, making recommendations for future best practice. Module taught in term 1.
This module allows you to experiment with the theory and practice of creative fashion and beauty communication through storytelling. You will explore media types including styling, writing, photography and film across print, digital and social media. You will learn about the conventions of each of these kinds of media and experiment with creating your own communications. Module is taught in term 1.
This module is designed to equip you with research skills and methodologies that are critical for academic success and professional excellence. The content is delivered through a blended learning approach, ensuring flexibility of access to study material and a comprehensive understanding of theories and practices of research at postgraduate level. Module is taught in term 1.
Diving deeper into your specialist field you will develop skills and knowledge relevant to your professional practice with dedicated sessions on your specialism. This module focuses on the importance of brand identity and the contribution to branding that fashion marketing, cosmetics marketing, and fashion styling make. Module taught in term 2.
In this module you will consider what fashion and beauty will look like in five, ten- and twenty-years’ time. Using trend forecasting and futurology methods, you will how analyse how wider cultural and social changes might impact the fashion and beauty industry. By imagining fashion scenarios based on current research and trends, you will create a vision for fashion and beauty’s future.
This module prepares you for both your Final Major Project and your career after university and aims to link your studies with your future employment. You will create a proposal for your Final Major Project aligned to your career goals and develop an industry ready portfolio to allow you to maximise your employability on completion.
The Major Project module is an opportunity for you to bring together the learning on the course and apply it to a self-directed project related to your specialism. You will undertake a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed research project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you and relevant to your future academic/ professional development.
To complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
This module provides an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills to an external, professional brief based in your specialism. The brief will be ‘real’, set in negotiation with an external client/agency/community, or it may be a simulation, inspired by a typical professional scenario you might experience in a work situation.
Central to this experience is a 70-hour work placement, which you can complete either in a concentrated block or spread out over the duration of the module. During this placement, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your professional attributes and subject-specific skills. To closely align with real-world job market conditions, you should expect to prepare a current and relevant CV, attend interviews, conduct research to source your own placement.
Creative careers often lead individuals on unexpected journeys, traversing diverse paths. Recognizing and seizing opportunities becomes pivotal in shaping a fulfilling portfolio career - one that harnesses your creative abilities while sustaining your livelihood. Whether you’re building a beauty brand, becoming a stylist or building a freelance fashion marketing career, the art of promoting and pitching ideas lies at the heart of an independent, entrepreneurial journey.
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Professional Placement
In order to qualify for the awards with Professional Placement, a student must successfully complete all of the Level 7 modules listed above as well as the following Level 7 module:
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree.
The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.
Download course specification
Download nowHow you learn
Term 1
In the first term, you develop knowledge and skills in analysing fashion and beauty campaigns, visual communication, technical production, and research methods. This term is shared between all specialisms and you can change it in term 2.
Term 2
In term 2 you put the skills learned in term 1 in collaborative and industry focused campaigns relevant to your chosen specialism. You have the chance to collaborate with students from across the ADM faculty and work on live briefs set by industry. You will also consider future trends and industry directions as part of the ‘Fashion and Beauty Futures’ module.
Term 3
Term 3 is the culmination of your studies in which you create your final major project based on your specialism and prepare for your entry into the industry.
In all specialisms you will learn to harness the power of compelling storytelling, visual aesthetics, and consumer research, to effectively engage audiences and drive impactful brand narratives. Adopting an international approach, you will be encouraged to reflect on your own heritage, culture, and positionality to promote cross cultural dialogue and peer to peer learning, helping you to become a professional capable of navigating the global landscape of the fashion and cosmetics industry.
Active participation in debates about the future of the fashion and beauty industry is encouraged. You'll explore pivotal issues such as sustainability, diversity, and digital technology, to propose future focused creative solutions.
You will be based in our Parkside building with other creative students and you will have access to photography studios, fashion workshops, print rooms and 3D printing.
Trips and visits
We run trips to London to visit relevant exhibitions and retail areas, recent visits have included: a curator tour of the Alexander McQueen flagship store and exhibition space, ‘Naomi’ at the V&A and ‘Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion’ at The Design Museum.
Students on the Cosmetics specialism also visit SCS Formulate, one of the largest cosmetics trade fairs in the UK.
We also run local trips to fashion events in the midlands, recent visits included ‘The Good Clothes Show’ at the NEC and ‘Waste Age’ at the Midlands Arts Centre.
There is also the opportunity to join an international trip, previously we have visited Rome and Florence to attend Pitti Filati, Gucci Gardens and the Salvatore Ferragamo flagship store and exhibition space.
Employability
Employability and entrepreneurial skills are woven throughout the course. You'll attend sessions on CVs, industry roles, social media networking, and gaining work experience. Our partnership with STEAMhouse offers a mini start-up incubator program, providing support for business growth.
You are supported from the start to set up professional social media sites to network and showcase work and build your employability skills.
The course also develops a number of transferable skills such as written and visual communication, working independently and as part of a group, writing and responding to creative briefs and delivering presentations.
We offer workshops to bolster both academic and technical skills. Technical workshops cover industry-standard software like InDesign, Photoshop, and Final Cut Pro. Technicians are on hand to help you build your technical proficiency.
Placements
You can undertake a 70 hour placement in term 2 or complete a 20 week placement as part of the MA with Professional Placement.
Our students have recently completed placements at Selfridges, Hair Dressers Journal and Modern Barber and Cassie Lomas Make Up Academy.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
Facilities & Staff
Our Facilities
Fashion and Textiles courses are based at our Parkside Building, which is part of our multi-million pound City Centre Campus development in the heart of Birmingham's Eastside development.
You will be based alongside other creative students and you will have access to photography studios, film studios, fashion workshops, print rooms and 3D printing.
Our staff
Dr Sophie Wood
Course Leader and Senior Lecturer MA Fashion Communication
Dr Sophie Wood is an experienced fashion communications professional and academic. Before joining BCU in 2023, she taught MA International Fashion Marketing at Regent’s University and was the course leader for BA Advertising at University of East London.
More about SophieJasmin Loyal
Lecturer in MA Fashion Media
Jasmin has over 15 years experience as a creative working in the menswear sector. Her experience ranges from fashion buying to product and brand development/innovation, and working for international retail brands such as the UK's largest retailer, Next.
More about JasminVictoria Coutts
Lecturer MA Fashion Media
Victoria's skills include a diverse range of creative direction, trend forecasting, styling, product design and development, buying and consultancy experience within the fashion, decorative products, baby, kids, and home furnishing sectors. Lifestyle and Interiors Stylist for print media and commercial clients.
More about Victoria