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Business and Management (Fashion)

BA (Hons)

Undergraduate degree - single honours

Award
BA (Hons) Business and Management (Fashion)
School/s
Bath Business School
Campus or location
Newton Park
Course length
Three years full time, or four years full time with professional placement year.
UCAS codes
Institution Code: B20
Course Code: HH10 or HH11
Campus Code: A,BSU

Entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.

A flexible, employment-focused Business and Fashion degree that you can adapt to your career aspirations.

  • Work collaboratively with other business students and with industry to grasp the business of fashion.
  • Pitch to and consult with live brands to gain real-life industry experience.
  • Be the future of fashion: sustainability is threaded through all three years of this degree.

University of the Year for Social Inclusion

Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2024

#8 in the UK

for Satisfied with Feedback in Business and Management (Guardian University Guide, 2024)

Dream of working at your dream brand or building your own empire as a fashion entrepreneur? The course is ideal for you if you're looking for a degree that will provide you with a firm foundation to build a successful career in the fashion business. A range of flexible work placement options, plus creative collaboration with businesses on live projects, will help develop your professional skill-set.

Our Business and Management Fashion pathway provides a flexible, stimulating and supportive learning environment that fosters creativity, digital literacy and a strong understanding of sustainability and global business.

We'll empower you to pursue your individual interests, giving you the opportunity to tailor-make your own fashion business degree by choosing the modules that best fit your career aspirations. You'll also be able to undertake additional professional accreditation through our respected industry partners.


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What you'll learn

Overview

BA (Hons) Business and Management (Fashion) is a business of fashion course, not a fashion design degree. We’ll help you develop as a person to achieve your potential through teaching you about the business of fashion and how it works.

You can shape your own degree by choosing modules from outside of the Fashion pathway, enabling you to explore issues around a particular theme, such as marketing, sustainability or global affairs.

As the course progresses, you’ll develop specialist skills, including digital marketing skills, that will empower you to compete in this changeable and challenging environment.

Course structure

Year one
Gain a broad understanding of today’s business environment, from the context that organisations operate in, through to trends in economic thinking and the importance of managing data in business.

Year two
You'll develop and expand your knowledge of global consumerism, fashion marketing strategy, and digital platforms, including retail and B2C. Module topics include fashion marketing and management, fashion in practice, marketing, and international business.

At the end of the year, you can choose to embark on a ten-month business placement or a ten-week summer placement – applying what you’ve learned so far in the real world. You can also choose to undertake a Professional Placement Year between your second and your final year.

Year three
You'll develop and explore your business learning, focusing on fashion marketing and visualisation. You'll also undertake an in-depth business research project in fashion, and have a chance to set up a business on your own or with fellow students.

Other topics that you can explore include: managing sustainability, successful freelancing, entrepreneurship, organisational strategy, leadership and management, and new trends in management.

How will I be assessed?

You'll be assessed in a wide range of ways that will test your knowledge of the fashion business and your management skills. These could include presentations, work-related projects, group-work, computer-based simulations, podcasts, examinations, essays, videos, and business reports.

How will I be taught?

We offer variety in the way we teach: sometimes we'll set you problems so you can find the answers for yourself; sometimes we'll lecture. Most modules use a mix of lectures and small group seminars. There’s a good blend of in-person and online activities (using our Virtual Learning Environment, Ultra). We invite business leaders to Bath Spa to talk about their experience and we arrange visits to local businesses. All of our teaching methods facilitate your development as a self-directed learner.

You’ll also be given personal support in your studies – we're a friendly team of academics, committed to helping you achieve your goals.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

Course modules

This course enables you to develop your own learning pathway, depending on your interests. There are a selection of core and optional modules each year. Core modules will depend on your chosen pathway and you can choose optional modules to complement or diversify your core skill-set each year. The programme document gives you more information on module choices.

Year one (Level 4) modules
  • The Business Environment
  • Organisational Behaviour and Management
  • Economics and Globalisation
  • Managing Data
  • Design Thinking for Enterprise
  • Professional Practice
Year two (Level 5) modules
  • Creativity for Business
  • Innovation Management
  • The Marketing Business
  • Human Resource Management
  • Financial Accounting
  • Operations and Project Management
  • Destination Management
  • International Business
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Applying Economics
  • Festival and Events Management
  • Law for Business Enterprise
  • Fashion Marketing and Management
  • Work Placement
  • Professional Placement Year
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Opportunities

Study abroad

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Business community projects

We give you the opportunity to work with regional and national businesses in and around Bath. You’ll be working on live project briefs, helping organisations find creative solutions to their business issues.

Professional accreditation

Depending on your pathway and the modules you study, you can gain accreditation by professional bodies and get exemption from professional exams.

Work placements, industry links and internships

You'll take a practical approach to your course. Our Business and Management students have the opportunity to take part in a number of work experience opportunities, working on live projects, supported by our dedicated course leaders. You'll work directly with brands to pitch ideas, find solutions and develop your skills.

Some previous examples include:

  • Fashion marketing project at Owen Barry, Tallulah and Hope, Savannah Miller and Finisterre
  • Working on live events projects with Bath Festivals, Komedia and The Forum (based in Bath).
Careers

BA (Hons) Business and Management (Fashion) aims to prepare you for a variety of careers within the business side of the fashion industry, including working for fashion magazines, fashion blogs and websites, and ecommerce sites, or in fashion PR and marketing, fashion management, buying, and retail.

You'll gain an understanding of the fashion industry and the necessary skills, including digital skills such as digital marketing and social media marketing, to enable you to succeed in this fast-paced, consumer-focused, global industry.

We'll give you the opportunity to work with regional and national businesses in and around Bath. You’ll be working on live project briefs, helping fashion organisations find creative solutions to their business issues.

Former students have gone on to work with major up-and-coming and established brands across the country such as:

  • Lipsy London (Social Media Manager)
  • New Look (Merchandiser)
  • Dents (Social Digital Marketing Assistant)
  • and Uggs, Beauty Pie and The North Face.

Some have also established their own brands and businesses working in the fashion and lifestyle sectors.

Global Citizenship

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

Adobe Creative Campus

Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.   

Professional placement year

Overview

This optional placement year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Preparation

Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.

How will I be assessed?

On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement.

Facilities and resources

Resources

Our library offers a wide range of printed and electronic business materials. This online material can be accessed on and off campus, enabling you to work at times that suit you. As a Bath Spa student, you'll also be given full access to LinkedIn Learning, a trusted resource for online learning in creative and digital topics such as marketing, design and social media.

See also:

Fees

2024 entry
Student Annual tuition fee
UK full time £9,250
UK part time £4,625
International full time £15,750

Professional Placement Year

During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.

  • UK: £1,850
  • International: £3,150

Interested in applying?

What we look for in potential students

We’re looking for individuals who are enterprising and creative, with a keen interest in the business of fashion. You’ll have the drive, motivation, and get-up-and-go to achieve in a challenging environment. You’ll already be actively interested in business and fashion, perhaps through work experience, e.g. in retail.

Knowledge of or qualifications in Fashion Design are not necessary to apply to this course.

Typical offers

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:

  • A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred.
  • BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
  • T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
  • International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required.
  • Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).

If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.

English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants

IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.

Course enquiries

For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.

How do I apply?

Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.

Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply webpages.

International applications

If you’re an international student or based overseas, web-based interviews may be offered. Please contact International Admissions for more information: internationaladmissions@bathspa.ac.uk

International students should visit our international pages for more information about our entry requirements, fees and scholarships, and student support.

Course leader: Marc Leverton
Email: m.leverton@bathspa.ac.uk

Three year course
With placement year

Website feedback to web@bathspa.ac.uk