UDFMBSMN - BA Fashion Marketing and Business Management
Course Specification
| Validation status | Validated | |||||||||||
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| Highest award | Bachelor of Arts | Level | Honours | |||||||||
| Possible interim awards | Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Higher Education, Certificate of Higher Education, Bachelor of Arts | |||||||||||
| Total credits for course | 360 | |||||||||||
| Awarding institution | London Metropolitan University | |||||||||||
| Teaching institutions | London Metropolitan University | |||||||||||
| School | School of Business, Environment and Law | |||||||||||
| Subject Area | Business, Aviation and Enterprise | |||||||||||
| Attendance options |
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| Course leader | ||||||||||||
About the course and its strategy towards teaching and learning and towards blended learning/e-learning
Reflecting on Course Rationale & Distinctive Features
• Industry-Relevant Curriculum: Rooted in the commercial realities of London’s fashion sector, the course uniquely combines marketing, branding, retail, and merchandising with strategic business management.
• Scaffolded Learning Model: The structure builds progressively across levels, encouraging academic growth and professional confidence through modular scaffolding and applied case-based pedagogy.
• Practice-Driven Philosophy: Nurtures critical and creative thinking through real-world engagement—reflecting fashion’s role in shaping contemporary culture.
• Unique Degree Title: “Fashion Marketing and Business Management” captures a dual emphasis on creative insight and strategic leadership, setting graduates apart in a competitive sector.
Alignment with School/University Learning Strategy
• Active & Blended Learning: Combines synchronous lectures-seminars with asynchronous resources via Weblearn, reinforcing flexible, student-centred engagement.
• Constructive Alignment: Assessment design targets measurable outcomes through diversified formats (presentations, portfolios, reports), ensuring relevance across diverse learner profiles.
• Timely & Developmental Feedback: Regular formative touchpoints embedded in the teaching cycle promote deep learning and continuous improvement.
Student Resources & Support for Achievement
• Dedicated Resource Centre Access: Offers workshops and study aids tailored to both academic skills and professional readiness.
• Extra-Curricular Enrichment: Students engage with London’s cultural calendar—exhibitions, trade shows, festivals—connecting theory with experiential learning.
• Industry Speaker Programme: Guest contributors span retail, branding, supply chain and circularity, enhancing career vision and professional networking.
• Digital Supplementation via Weblearn: Articles, trend reports, and curated multimedia enhance accessibility and retention of course content.
Market Responsiveness & Graduate Employability
• Employer-Facing Outcomes: Focus on core skills demanded by industry—branding, buying, analytics, trend forecasting, and sustainability frameworks.
• Strategic Localisation: London’s status as a global fashion hub anchors the course in an ideal talent ecosystem, generating internship and career opportunities.
• Holistic Career Preparation: The course fosters entrepreneurial mindset, digital fluency, and strategic agility—hallmarks of future-forward professionals.
• Curriculum Currency: Modules are reviewed annually to reflect shifts in retail technology, platform commerce, circular business models, and international trade dynamics
Course aims
The course is designed to provide a dynamic and inclusive educational experience that aligns with the fast-paced evolution of the global apparel industry. It facilitates students’ development of deep knowledge and critical understanding of the organizations that shape the fashion business ecosystem, their management structures, and the shifting external environments driven by technological innovation, policy reform, and socio-economic change. In doing so, students are prepared for diverse career trajectories within the creative economies, including roles in fashion branding, merchandising, buying, marketing, and entrepreneurship—each informed by real-world business practices and strategic decision-making.
A core aim of the course is to cultivate essential skills and graduate attributes that support students in becoming globally minded professionals. The learning environment actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion through meaningful engagement with perspectives across cultures, sectors, and lived experiences. Teaching is tailored to encourage critical analysis, ethical thinking, and collaborative problem-solving—all in support of fostering responsible leadership in the creative industries.
Structured progressively across three levels, the course enables students from varied academic and experiential backgrounds to build fluency in management and marketing disciplines. At Level 4, foundational modules introduce key business concepts alongside applied theoretical models, ensuring a common baseline of understanding. By Level 5, students begin to engage more directly with specialist functions within the fashion industry. Core modules cover essential operational roles while options such as digital marketing reflect the growing influence of e-commerce and platform-based retailing. At Level 6, the focus broadens to global strategy, sustainability, and critical consumption, addressing the complexities of international fashion markets and encouraging students to develop thoughtful and innovative responses to contemporary challenges.
Throughout the programme, students benefit from continuous engagement with industry professionals, whether through guest lectures, consultancy projects, or embedded work-based learning. The acquisition of transferable and interpersonal skills—such as leadership, time management, and teamwork—is integrated into every module to support career readiness. By the conclusion of the course, students will have produced an independent dissertation, business project, or live consultancy brief, demonstrating both academic rigour and practical insight into the fashion marketing and business management sectors.
Course learning outcomes
On completion of the BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Business Management, graduates will be able to:
LO1.Demonstrate confidence and leadership in challenging professional contexts, responding with resilience, ambition, and strategic decision-making.
LO2.Communicate effectively across cultures, displaying a global mindset and interpersonal fluency suitable for the diverse and international nature of the fashion industry.
LO3.Understand and assess the social, environmental, and ethical dimensions of their work, contributing as active and responsible citizens through sustainable and inclusive professional practices.
LO4. Apply creative thinking and analytical rigour to solve practical business challenges, translating vision into operational and commercially viable solutions.
LO5. Showcase comprehensive knowledge of fashion marketing and business management, with the ability to synthesize interdisciplinary perspectives and apply them across varied roles in the creative industries.
LO6. Consistently demonstrate proficiency in both subject-specific and transferable skills, including teamwork, project planning, and digital literacy—all essential for contemporary professional contexts.
LO7. Exhibit a sophisticated understanding of industry demands, including current market trends, technological disruption, and circular business models, preparing them to be adaptive, innovative, and employment ready.
LO8. Master research and inquiry methods, empowering them to engage in lifelong learning, contribute to thought leadership, and give back to society through informed, reflective practice.
LO9. Critically evaluate the role of fashion and textile businesses in addressing societal concerns, with a focus on developing ethically responsible strategies that contribute positively to stakeholders and the wider community.
LO10. Analyze contemporary practices and innovations within the fashion and textiles industry, assessing how emerging technologies, sustainability frameworks, and evolving consumer behaviors are reshaping business models and professional standards.
Principle QAA benchmark statements
The QAA Benchmark Statement for Business Management and Marketing March 2023
Assessment strategy
The course exploits are range of assessment methods including formal examinations; in-class tests; structured literature-based assignments in the form of essays, case studies, reports; and semi-structured coursework, such as oral presentations, portfolio work or blogs. Level 6 features a research project/dissertation/Consultancy project.
• Assessment and feedback practices are informed by subject-specific and educational scholarship of individual members of staff and are constantly reviewed in light of reflection on opportunities such as staff development days, conference participation and consideration of professional initiatives practice
• Dialogue between students and staff regarding the basis on which academic judgements are made takes place specifically in the introduction to each assessment task and more generally in trouble-shooting sessions. Descriptors for each assessed criterion are articulated in the module handbooks
• Good academic practice is disseminated to students specifically through critiques of student responses to previous tasks and more generally through seminar discussions of scholarly articles, reports and case studies. The basic skills of citation, referencing, and narrative structure are reiterated at regular intervals and posted on the course page.
• The course is organised is a manner that, as far as possible, avoids the clumping of assessments and the variety in the nature of these is designed to take account of the range of student learning styles, thereby promoting inclusivity. The volume of assessment, determined by the university tariff, allows students ample opportunity to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes for the course.
• Formative assessments are embedded at each level of the programme. At L4 this exercise is extended into an assessed component, and all modules take advantage of the opportunity of feeding forward to support student achievement.
• The course page lists the dates by which students may expect to have received feedback on all assessed components. It is expected that feedback will identify areas of strength in addition to articulating how areas of weakness might be improved and suggests how students may use the commentary in a manner that has a developmental impact on future responses to assessment tasks.
• Marking and moderation procedures are set out in all module handbooks and discussions between members of the teaching teams to ensure consistency in gauging achievement of assessment criteria. The course leader has access to detailed metrics that facilitate identification of outlier modules.
Organised work experience, work based learning, sandwich year or year abroad
At Level 5, students can choose from three alternative core 15-credit work-based learning modules:
• MN5W55 Learning Through Work - For those looking to gain experience from undertaking and reflecting on work-based projects related to your career interest.
• MN5W50 Creating a Winning Business - Ideal for those seeking to understand how entrepreneurial knowledge can benefit those seeking employment or for those interested in how to be self-employed. Includes a short work-based project
• WL5W50 Empowering London: Working within the Community - For students interested in how societal issues affect London, including gaining work experience supporting a charity or community organisations.
Students can also apply for the option to extend their degree by completing a full Year in Industry module (MN6W04) after successfully finishing Level 5. This provides in-depth, real-world experience, professional-level skills development, and opportunities to build networks, helping graduates stand out in a competitive job market.
Course specific regulations
Modules are required to be taken as indicated in section 22 above. Where a student is taking less than 90 credits in an academic year within the maximum permissible time limit, they may be designated as Part Time.
There are no course specific regulations
Modules required for interim awards
Modules are required to be taken as indicated in the course structure.
Arrangements for promoting reflective learning and personal development
Reflective learning strategies are mobilised throughout the course. Seminars featuring articles, visual resources, and/or other relevant materials provide students with opportunities to identify and reinforce learning outcomes achieved in the workshops and lectures. Supplementary material posted on Weblearn facilitates further reflection in order to inform the level of subsequent discussion. In Level 6 the research module is predicated on the idea that a dissertation/project is, in essence, a series of reflective learning opportunities compiled over an extended period of self-directed study; in certain modules students are tasked with self-assessing their performance in the context of a group project
Personal Development Planning starts informally during the induction sessions when new learners are asked to consider their own learning styles and what they hope/expect to gain from the course. The Developing Your Potential study skills sessions are embedded into one of the core modules taken at Level 4. These elements of the learning experience are supported in meetings with academic mentors, when issues such as engagement, attendance, academic performance, and the development of action plans addressing agreed targets are discussed. At Levels 5 and 6 such meetings also encompass strategic programme planning, career aspirations and learning strategies designed to achieve the optimal degree classification.
Other external links providing expertise and experience
N/A
Career, employability and opportunities for continuing professional development
The BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Business Management programme prepares graduates for a wide spectrum of career pathways across the fashion business and the broader creative industries. Throughout the course, students acquire commercially relevant skills—including quantitative abilities essential for roles in buying and merchandising, alongside visual literacy foundational to brand development and fashion marketing. Entrepreneurial thinking is actively fostered to support future start-up ventures and freelance careers, with dedicated modules offering practical insights into business creation.
Work-based learning features prominently across all levels, equipping students with hands-on experience and professional exposure that enhances their employability. Digital literacy is embedded as a core competency, with platforms, tools, and workflows integrated into the curriculum to reflect current industry practice. Career education is scaffolded through structured Enhancement Weeks, featuring guest speakers from across the fashion ecosystem and collaborative sessions with the Careers & Employability Service.
The Student Enterprise Team supports London Met students and graduates to bring ideas to life and develop skills for success in start-up, self-employment and freelancing. Through a range of events, activities and programmes, the Team can help everyone realise their entrepreneurial potential. One-to-one advice sessions and support programmes run throughout the year.
Beyond the classroom, students are encouraged to participate in university-wide initiatives such as Master Classes in digital innovation and financial training in the Bloomberg Room, widening their skillset for a competitive employment landscape. For those pursuing further academic or professional development, final-year dissertation and consultancy modules enable students to develop sophisticated research proposals—refining critical thinking, applied inquiry, and strategic foresight.
Taken together, the programme ensures graduates are industry-ready, future-facing, and equipped to contribute meaningfully to the creative economy through sustainable practice and socially responsible leadership.
Career opportunities
On completion of the course, you’ll have the skills and experience you need for a wide range of graduate opportunities across the fashion industry, including specific head office roles within retail organisations and clothing companies.
Our business and management graduates have gone on to careers as area managers, assistant management accountants, business, merger and acquisition analysts and directors at organisations such as Amazon, Office Holdings, E Movement and WizzAir.
You could follow in the footsteps of Armando Cabral, a London Metropolitan University graduate who has built his own fashion empire and been part of Paris Fashion Week whilst modelling for H&M.
Entry requirements
In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:
- a minimum grade C in three A levels or minimum grades BC in at least two A levels in academic or business subjects (or a minimum of 96 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC National, OCR Diploma or Advanced Diploma)
- English Language GCSE at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)
If you don't have traditional qualifications or can't meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing our Business Management CertHE course.
Official use and codes
| Approved to run from | 2013/14 | Specification version | 1 | Specification status | Validated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original validation date | 01 Sep 2013 | Last validation date | 01 Sep 2013 | ||
| Sources of funding | HE FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND | ||||
| JACS codes | N500 (Marketing): 50% , N200 (Management Studies): 50% | ||||
| Route code | FMBSMN | ||||
Stage 1 Level 04 September start Offered
| Code | Module title | Info | Type | Credits | Location | Period | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC4013S | The Business of Fashion | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | TUE | AM | |
| MC4057 | Contextualising Fashion | Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | MON | AM | |
| NORTH | AUT | FRI | AM | |||||
| MC4061 | Principles of Marketing | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | MON | PM | |
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| MC4062 | Media Culture and Society | Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | FRI | AM | |
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| MC4063 | Frameworks of Fashion | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | TUE | PM | |
| MC4080 | Data analysis for Marketing and Creative Indust... | Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | |||
| MN4079 | People, Management and Organisations | Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | TUE | PM | |
| NORTH | SPR | NA | PM | |||||
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| MN4084 | Learning through Organisation | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR |
Stage 1 Level 04 January start Offered
| Code | Module title | Info | Type | Credits | Location | Period | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC4013S | The Business of Fashion | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | TUE | AM | |
| MC4057 | Contextualising Fashion | Core | 15 | |||||
| MC4061 | Principles of Marketing | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | MON | PM | |
| NORTH | SUM | MON | PM | |||||
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| NORTH | SPR | FRI | PM | |||||
| MC4062 | Media Culture and Society | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | |||
| MC4063 | Frameworks of Fashion | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | TUE | PM | |
| MC4080 | Data analysis for Marketing and Creative Indust... | Core | 15 | |||||
| MN4079 | People, Management and Organisations | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | NA | PM | |
| MN4084 | Learning through Organisation | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR |
Stage 2 Level 05 September start Offered
| Code | Module title | Info | Type | Credits | Location | Period | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC5052 | Fashion Paradigms | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | |||
| MC5062 | Online Fashion Retailing | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | THU | AM | |
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| MC5077 | Consumer Insights | Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | WED | AM | |
| MC5079 | Fashion Buying (and Apparel Supply Chain) | Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | THU | AM | |
| MC5080 | Marketing Communications | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | FRI | PM | |
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| MC5158 | Research Methods for Marketing and Creative Ind... | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | |||
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| MN5070 | The Practice of Consultancy | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | NA | ||
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| MN5W50 | Creating a Winning Business 1 | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | FRI | AM&PM | |
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| MN5W55 | Learning through Work | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | WED | AM | |
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| WL5W50A | Empowering London: Working within the community | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT | WED | AM | |
| WL5W50S | Empowering London: Working within the community | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | WED | AM | |
| LT5078 | Sustainability, Business and Responsibility | Option | 15 | NORTH | SPR | MON | AM | |
| NORTH | SPR | WED | PM | |||||
| OL0000 | Open Language Programme Module | Option | 15 | NORTH | SPR | NA | ||
| NORTH | AUT | NA |
