Fashion Marketing & Retailing BA (Hons)

Programme information

Our Fashion Marketing and Retailing programme confidently prepares students for a career within the Marketing and Retailing industry acquiring creative, critical and transferable skills for Marketing and Retailing. We offer fashion focused yet broad skills that teach the fundamentals of Fashion Marketing and Retailing and the fashion business.

First year

First year is a broad common first year for all fashion students that gives a strong skills base for the fashion industry. As well as studying the specific pathways, students will examine Creative and Contemporary Studies to place their work into context. Subject areas include:

  • Marketing and Retailing
  • Fashion Communication
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Textiles
  • Contemporary and Contextual Studies
  • Fashion Advertising and PR
  • CAD and Presentation Skills
  • Production and Assembly Knowledge

Second year

Students explore current ideas, issues and innovations related to Fashion Marketing and Retailing. Students engage in a higher level of learning in the areas of:

  • Buying
  • Promotion
  • Advertising
  • Merchandising
  • Logistics
  • Brand and Customer Awareness
  • Product Analysis and Development
  • Service Management

Presentation skills are enhanced with the use of CAD and a variety of medium exploration including a specialised photography course and website development via Digital Application. A higher level of market and consumer understanding are delivered through industrial projects and collaborations in this year. .

Third year

Third year is focused on students becoming more actively involved with the fashion industry through a variety of interdisciplinary projects that enable appropriate development of their skills and knowledge. At this higher level of study students undertake subjects in:

  • Business Practice for Fashion
  • Management and Finance Reports
  • Industrial Styling
  • Trends Development

Fourth year

Students devise and negotiate their own project, which forms the main body of work for their BA (Hons) degree. A full project of work is designed, researched and produced alongside an academic report to complement the creative and industrial body of work that is aimed at a specific customer and market level, showing a higher level of understanding and knowledge of the Fashion Marketing and Retailing field.

Career prospects

Upon graduation, students pursue a range of careers within the fashion industry, and career opportunities are extensive, from retail management, fashion marketing, buying and merchandising, sourcing, visual presentation and trend analysis.

Entry requirements

First year entry

  • CBSE or equivalent Minimum of 60% in Grade 12 examinations.
  • American High School Diploma Pass plus SATs with an overall score of 1500.
  • International Baccalaureate 24 points or above.
  • GCE A-Level CCC or equivalent.
  • UAE Tawjihiyya Minimum of 80% plus IELTS 6.0, TOEFL 550/213/80.
  • Foundation Year Successful completion of Heriot-Watt University Degree Entry Programme Design Studies with a BBBB. Degree Entry Programme Management/Psychology will also be considered.

Second year entry

  • GCE A Levels BBB in relevant subjects
  • International Baccalaureate 27 points
  • CBSE Overall 85%+ (in relevant subjects)
  • Equivalent programme studied at another university for first year level. Please contact us to discuss further.
  • The final decision lies with the Programme Director for students applying for an advanced year entry as all aspects of an application need to be reviewed.

Third year entry

  • Successful completion of an HND in a related field of study. Please contact us to discuss further.

Fourth year entry

Successful completion of a BA Ordinary Degree in a related field of study. Please contact us to discuss further.

Additional information

  • Where English was not the medium of instruction at secondary school, applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0, TOEFL 550 (paper-based exam); 213 computer-based exam); 80 (internet-based exam).