Fashion Management - MA
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry. Switch to 2024/25 Entry
The world of fashion is one of the globe’s fastest-growing industries, as well as one of the most competitive. This course equips you with the skills and knowledge to succeed as a manager in this exciting industry. You will gain a technical understanding of the sector, combined with a solid foundation of management principles....
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Award MA
- Start date September 2025, January 2026
- Fees View course fees
- Subjects
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
The world of fashion is one of the globe’s fastest-growing industries, as well as one of the most competitive. This course equips you with the skills and knowledge to succeed as a manager in this exciting industry.
You will gain a technical understanding of the sector, combined with a solid foundation of management principles. We will help develop your overall understanding of the modern fashion industry, as well as the necessary skills for working in the sector.
What's covered in this course?
The course encourages you to develop the skills and competences of future managers in the Fashion Industry. To do this, you will be capable of making management decisions at both a strategic and at a tactical level, emphasising the complexity and dynamics of business and management and an awareness of the nature of the various factors which influence management decisions.
The course encompasses numerous field trip opportunities for students to allow reflection on the developing knowledge and understanding as it relates to their professional practice and the fashion industry. The School provides a unique setting for students to observe their peers, taking advantage of the proximity of fashion and textile design students at The Parkside Building. The School of Fashion & Textiles has built a network of diverse contacts and partners over its history. This business-focused course will offer expertise and innovative ideas through the student body to our contacts.
You will be able to develop opportunities through collaboration with peers from other courses within the School of Fashion & Textiles as well as the Schools of Jewellery and Birmingham School of Media and across the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media; to broaden the range of careers opportunities across disciplines.
Why Choose Us?
- Links to industry and regular contact with fashion professionals
- International field trip opportunities to key fashion events
- Supportive staff with many years of industry experience
- Network and collaborate with other fashion students, our wider postgraduate community and beyond
- Enjoy a vast archive of fashion publications dating back to the 1930s
OPEN DAY
Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, chat to students, explore our campus and tour accommodation.
Next Event: 24 November 2024
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
You are required to meet one of the following options:
Essential Requirements
| Essential |
|---|
|
An honours degree from a UK University |
|
A first degree from an overseas university (GPA 3.0 out of 4.0 or average 75 per cent or any other equivalence to the above UK qualification) |
|
Successful passing a Pre-Master's course approved by Birmingham City University |
|
Successful passing a Pre-Master's course at another UK university/institution with a minimum of 55 per cent average |
| Other qualifications |
| Other qualifications will be considered on a case by case basis. |
Please note that even if your application fully meets the entry criteria, you may be required to further demonstrate your suitability via an interview or submission of a course proposal before being offered a place.
Interviews may be conducted in your country of residence, over the telephone or by Skype.
Extra information for EU/International students
| English language requirements |
|---|
| IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands or its equivalent. |
| No English certificate is required for applicants from countries that appear on our English exemption list. Please contact the International Office for this list. |
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
- £12,440 in 2025/26
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £13,685 in 2025/26
Award: MA
Starting: Jan 2026
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £12,440 in 2025/26
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £13,685 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
Award: MA
Starting: Jan 2026
- 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
*Professional Placement option
The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.
This will allow you to complete 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. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
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 180 credits):
This module will introduce you to your specialist field, focusing on the key skills, issues and debates surrounding the creative industries and in your specialist field. Marketing and management theory will be put into the context of your specialism and relate to your growing awareness of the global nature of the creative industries.
This module will provide you with the elements of business planning as well as the ability to analyse the environment of a business and plan future directions based your findings. Analysis covers topics such as trends, competitors, market and industry influences. Planning-related areas include product and service development, sustainable innovation, finance and marketing. Overall, the module will equip you, as a future manager, with the tools you will need to make strategic and tactical business decisions to provide evidence-based direction to future employers.
The aim of this module is to introduce you to research skills and methods to allow you to craft your own research proposal, which will support and inform your major project module. You will choose your own area of interest relating to your specialism for research.
Taking an international attitude, this module focuses on the importance of brand adaptation to meet local market conditions. Assuming the role of Brand Manager, this module challenges you research a new market for an existing brand of your choice, then develop a sales & Distribution plan, and Marketing promotional plan for the first year of the brands entry into their new market.
The global value chain framework will be explored to explain the transformations in production, trade and corporate strategies that have shaped the apparel industry over the past decades.
You will be taken on the full journey of the garment from design, to sourcing factories and or suppliers, to delivery into retailers or distribution centres. International and UK production and local and global sourcing will be studied, and students will gain an understanding of the different supplier types and how these are matched to different aspects of fashion retail business model.
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed research project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. It is important that we can support you appropriately, so you will be guided towards choosing a research topic which is relevant to your discipline and in which your lecturers have expertise. The outcome may take the form of a written dissertation or a practical outcome with accompanying reflective, critical and contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be relevant to your programme and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.
Download course specification
Download nowYour studies will be based at Parkside and Curzon at the City Centre Campus. You will begin your year with modules in Industry Practice and Analysis and Planning for Management which will introduce you to a range of skills and experience that will form the foundation of your further studies.You will have regular opportunities to meet experts from the world of Fashion and guest speakers from the wider Creative Industries.
In the second term you will build on your knowledge of Analysis and Planning for Management and continue to enhance your industry skills in the Global Fashion Brand Marketing module. This will also be supported with modules in Fashion Logistics and the Global Apparel Value Chain and Research and Professional Skills, letting you practise making research proposals and designing pilot studies for industry related projects.
Your last term of studies will concentrate on a Major Project module that will examine a contemporary management issue that currently affects the Global Fashion Industry. This is a self-directed project that you can design to focus on aspects of the Fashion Industry that you are most interested in.
Postgraduate Fashion Finale Raises Money for Charity
Students from MA Fashion Design, MA Fashion Management, MA Fashion Promotion and MA Fashion Styling collaborated to organise an end of year MA Fashion Show for charity.
21 MA Fashion Design students showcased their collections, while MA Fashion Management, MA Fashion Promotion and MA Fashion Styling students took key roles in organising the spectacular event, fuelled by student man power and talent, against the challenge of no event budget.
The fashion show is key in giving students an experience of creative production on a live project which they can take away as a show reel as part of their portfolio. Supporting Cancer Research UK, the show raised £430 for charity.
Employability
Employability and key transferable skills are embedded within the course ethos to maximise your capabilities and understanding of potential career opportunities.
Many modules require group projects in the field to build first-hand knowledge of the Fashion Industry. The importance of positive contribution to a team and close working relationships with colleagues is a key feature.
The course is structured to build on experiences and embrace real scenarios through live projects, simulated practice requiring actual problem solving. This aims to develop your confidence and ambitions to explore a breadth of careers opportunities within a global industry.
Evaluating strategic and tactical business decisions will prepare you for working in Fashion by enabling you to understand the changing environment of competitors and stakeholders and adapt your plans and working practice accordingly. Your knowledge of management and marketing theories and how to apply them will be an advantage in many roles, and give you the flexibility to engage on many different levels with employers, clients and partners alike.
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.
Further Information
At present, we currently only accept full-time international students and don’t offer part-time or distance learning. In addition, you would also have to satisfy our proficiency in English Language requirements. For example, IELTS Grade 6.0 in all bands or 6.5 average, TOEFL at least 575.
Graduate stories: Sunghee Lee
South Korea
“Becoming a fashion student at BCU is the best decision I have ever made, because I'm having wonderful and entertaining experience. They have perfect facilities for fashion students such as photo shooting studios, a 3D printer and a well-equipped library, which allow me to be more creative by utilising a variety range of facilities.
"While I was undertaking a short project related to visual merchandising with one of my course mates, I really enjoyed shooting visual images based on fashion trends, coordinating on fashion style and creating new ideas for visual merchandising.”
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.
Our staff
Barry Batson
MA Fashion Management and MA Luxury Brand Management Course Director
With over 40 years’ experience in the industry, Barry Batson is the current Programme Director for MA Fashion Management and MA Luxury Brand Management at Birmingham City University. Barry’s previous academic role was with Southampton Solent University as Senior Lecturer for their Fashion Management with Marketing and Fashion Buying courses.
More about BarryDr Nazlı Alimen
Lecturer
Dr. Nazlı Alimen teaches on MA Luxury Brand Management and MA Fashion Management courses and supervises PhD projects at BCU. Before joining BCU in 2019, she taught at London College of Fashion (UAL) and Helsinki and Aalto universities in Finland.
More about Nazlı