Fashion Business Management

Programme Description

This new and exclusive Masters course has a clear mission; to be the premier International Business Management programme for the global fashion industry educating the fashion business leaders of tomorrow.

The course stands firmly in the tradition of Westminster Fashion at the University of Westminster in its commitment to excellence in the provision of developing highly effective, talented and committed professional fashion graduates.The course aims to equip you for a business management career in the domestic or international Fashion Industry by delivering an innovative and relevant fashion business curriculum that focuses on preparing you to develop into senior roles in business and management within the Global Fashion Industry.

Working closely with fashion industry professionals, fashion organisations and industry role models and mentors, the MA Fashion Business Management course equips you with a relevant, well grounded, high quality education and skill base to enable you to have a wider, clearer and more relevant understanding of the business you are already involved in.

It offers an inside knowledge of industry strategies and cultures on a global basis combined with a strong underpinning of key business skills (finance, risk, leadership, organisational and change management, strategy, marketing and entrepreneurialism), and in addition offers essential fashion industry management knowledge (strategic innovation and technology, product sourcing and supply chain management issues).

We will be encouraging you in the development of strategic and entrepreneurial vision, understanding and recognising growing global issues and challenges, reacting and responding effectively to the constant changes in consumer demand that remain so indigenous in the global fashion industry together with improved self-awareness and personal development appropriate to careers in the fashion business.

The fashion industry is characterised by fast pace, high pressure, a hands - on approach, often more tactical than strategic and total involvement with the business.As a successful graduate in MA Fashion Business Management, you will have developed skills that enable you to enter and progress within the fashion business management sector of your choice but as indicated previously it does not guarantee a fast track route to success.

To be successful you will need to display the ability to apply the knowledge you have acquired in a real retail environment. You will need to demonstrate that doing a post graduate degree in this subject has been helpful but relevant and most importantly that you have commonsense. Those that fail are those individuals who over-complicate a simple process. To quote a senior executive who contributed to the market research, 'It is all about approach and attitude of mind; you must have clear goals and be ruthlessly [but not aggressively] determined to achieve those goals'.Present market conditions in global expansion, management and organisational changes are creating additional opportunities for people to work in organisations across the world.

The International perspective you are able to develop on this course both as a result of your participation in the International Summer Schools and the general content of the syllabus will enable you to capitalise on job opportunities throughout the world.The University found that it was generally accepted that there was a shortage of appropriately skilled graduates entering the industry with the skill profile that would enhance their career prospects and such a degree would help to redress this balance.