MSc International Fashion Marketing

Overview

The MSc in International Fashion Marketing provides students with a contextualised knowledge of international marketing that prepares them to meet the marketing challenges facing the fashion industry today.

There are eight taught courses, divided equally over two semesters, followed by an international fashion marketing dissertation in semester 3.  Part-time students register for two courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of their second year. Assessment is specifically designed to develop professional career readiness and includes …

Mandatory courses deliver core international marketing concepts (International Strategic Marketing, Contemporary Consumers in Fashion, Marketing Metrics, Branding and Communication in Fashion, Research Philosophy and Practice) as well as specialist marketing knowledge (Fashion Product Development and Fashion Buying and Merchandising). 

In Semester 2 students have the choice of a marketing course option in either Sustainable Marketing or Social Media Marketing reflecting vital fashion industry trends.

In Semester 3 the International Fashion Marketing dissertation is the capstone course where students 'deep-dive' into their chosen area of research. Students will demonstrate their mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from analysis of valuable primary research.

Specialist mandatory courses

Semester 1

Fashion Product Development

This course provides insight into the management process of fashion product development and develops knowledge of the concepts and terminology specific to garment manufacture. Students will learn about the processes and challenges of developing new fashion products and will be trained in both market-led and design-led approaches. Customer preferences, brand positioning and market demand is examined for both luxury and high street fashion segments. Upon the conclusion of the course students will know how textile characteristics and garment construction can be adjusted to meet business objectives.

Semester 2

Fashion Buying and Merchandising

Buyers and merchandisers are key to fashion business success as they are responsible for maximising income through predicting sales potential, responding to customer demand and maintaining competitive advantage through selecting, sourcing, and managing product. This course introduces students to the structure and scope of the buying and merchandising function, develops in-depth knowledge of the process of range building and critically reviews the mechanisms for effective supplier selection, negotiation, and performance evaluation.  At the end of the course students will be able to create, develop and evaluate a fashion buying and merchandising plan using online retail market planning tools provided by Edited.com.

An MSc with industry demand

The International Fashion Marketing MSc develops both technical and managerial skills that will enable students to progress to a range of careers in international fashion marketing. Fashion brands and retailers are competing globally for market share whilst being environmentally sustainable and digitally authentic. This degree programme will develop critical thinking skills, an awareness of contemporary trends coupled with industry accredited international marketing knowledge. The programme benefits from the support of a fashion and textile industry careers advisor based at the School of Textiles and Design. Graduates have secured roles in fashion journalism, fashion brand management and retail merchandising.  

Heriot Watt is a global university and classes are shared with students from a range of MSc programmes and nationalities providing opportunities for professional networking that will be of benefit in professional life. Students also can become involved in the Heriot Watt Marketing Society, a student-run society which hosts speakers from industry and organises social events.

Our research: a driving force for new knowledge

The MSc International Fashion Marketing Programme Director is Dr Ian Grant, and the Head of the Marketing Subject Group is Dr Kathryn Waite. The MSc International Fashion Marketing is part of the Marketing Group's portfolio of programmes, which includes the MSc International Marketing with Consumer Psychology, the MSc Digital Marketing, and the MSc International Marketing. The Marketing Subject Group were recently ranked 1^st in Scotland and 4^th in the UK by the National Student Satisfaction 2021 survey highlighting how highly valued their degree programmes are.  

Faculty members involved in this degree have published in digital consumption (Dr Ian Grant, Professor Paul Hopkinson), entrepreneurship (Elaine Collinson), digital marketing (Dr Kathryn Waite, Rodney Mwenje, Kristen Marshall), retail atmospherics and consumer diversity (Dr Chris Dodd)x, consumer identity (Dr Jane Priest). Professor Marylyn Carrigan is an internationally recognized expert in the field of ethical and sustainable consumption; she has won multiple research grants, published over 100 academic articles, and serves on the boards of several leading management journals.

Group members are active in several University research centres including the Centre for Research on Employment, Work and Professions (Dr Kathryn Waite), Centre for Logistics and Sustainability (Professor Marylyn Carrigan, Dr Ian Grant), and the Centre for Networks and Enterprise Excellence (Elaine Collinson, Dr Jane Priest). The Marketing Subject Group faculty also possess considerable practitioner experience of advertising and communication agencies (Dr Ian Grant), corporate and project communications (Dr Jane Priest) and international industry/academic partnerships (Elaine Collinson). Professor Carrigan has extensive contacts with industry including serving as a member of the Standards Committee for the Responsible Jewellery Council, and consulting for Fairtrade Gold and the BBC. Her work investigates the role that context plays in determining how consumers and firms are embedded or deterred from behaving sustainably and the tensions and conflicts resultant.

Specialist fashion courses are delivered by experts who combine academic insight with substantial industry experience. Fashion Product Development is taught by three faculty members from the Heriot Watt School of Textile and Design. Bruce Roberts, who is the course leader, founded and managed his own bespoke garment design and production company before becoming the Director of Studies for Fashion Technology. Dr Lisa Macintyre is a specialist in knitting technology and the physical testing of textiles and is researching quality issues with luxury knitwear manufacturers and medical compression product. Finally, Dr Danmei Sun who is researching smart/functional textile materials and eco-friendly print and colour processes. Fashion Buying and Merchandising is taught by Dr Antoinette Fionda-Douglas who is member of the EBS Marketing Group, an accredited United Nations expert on sustainable fashion and the co-founder and MD of Beira Moda Ltd. The course also benefits from the insights of Heather Marshall who is an experienced textile and fashion career advisor with considerable experience of working in fashion retailing as a buyer.

The mandatory course in 'Research Philosophy and Practice', which is the springboard to the dissertation project, is taught by Dr Lina Fadel whose interdisciplinary research has addressed global challenges including ethnic group identity and the experiences of Syrian refugees in the UK.

Programme duration

• MSc - 12 months full-time; 24 months part-time
• PGDip - 9 months full-time; 21 months part-time

September 2023 entry

The deadline for applications from Scottish and RUK students is 31st August 2023. For EU and overseas applicants, we guarantee to consider applications submitted by 1st August 2023.

Accreditation

The MSc is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) within the Graduate Gateway programmes. This provides graduate with a credit for prior learning upon completion of their degree or the choice of self-study for a CIM qualification during their programme of study. This would require registration on one additional CIM training course to gain a CIM certificate or two additional courses to gain a CIM diploma.