MSc International Fashion Retailing

Year of entry: 2024

Overview

Degree awarded
MSc
Duration
12 months full time
Entry requirements

2.1 UK Honours degree or equivalent. Applications from candidates with academic backgrounds in Marketing, Management, Arts, Fashion and Social Science (combinations of English, History, Languages, Politics, Psychology) related disciplines (minor or major) are particularly welcomed. All backgrounds must contain substantial management, marketing or social science content.

Full entry requirements

How to apply

Apply Online :

Please only apply for one of our three Fashion courses: MSc International Fashion Marketing, MSc International Fashion Retailing, or MSc International Fashion Retailing (Entrepreneurship and Innovation).  If you wish to transfer your application or offer to one of the other Fashion MSc courses we can review this throughout the cycle, although there is no guarantee that we will be able to change it. 

Please check the academic background and entry requirements for each course. As there is high demand for this course we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. For further details and for the application deadlines, please see our staged admissions section.

If you are made an offer, in order to confirm your place you will be required to make a deposit payment of £1,000 on or before the deadline date stated in your offer letter.

Please note, refunds are only given for a limited number of reasons, see our page on  Acceptance deposits  for more information.

Course options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
MSc Y N N N

Course overview

  • Specialise in fashion retailing and strengthen your strategic business skills for a career in a substantial, competitive sector.
  • Undertake an extensive research project and deepen your knowledge in an area of your interest.
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Hear more about our MSc courses in Fashion, Business and Technology from Dr Conlon

Open days

For details of the next University Postgraduate open day, please see open days and visits .

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • MSc (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): £14,500
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £33,500

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding UK and international students each year.

The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study, and allocates £300,000 in funding each year. Our  Manchester Master's Bursaries  are aimed at widening access to master's courses by removing barriers to postgraduate education for students from underrepresented groups.

For more information, see the Department of Materials  Fees and funding  page or visit the University of Manchester  funding for master's courses  website for more information.

Contact details

Department
Department of Materials
Contact name
Postgraduate Admissions Team
Telephone
+44 (0)161 529 3043
Email
Website
https://www.materials.manchester.ac.uk
School/Faculty

Our internationally-renowned expertise across the School of Natural Sciences informs research led teaching with strong collaboration across disciplines, unlocking new and exciting fields and translating science into reality.  Our multidisciplinary learning and research activities advance the boundaries of science for the wider benefit of society, inspiring students to promote positive change through educating future leaders in the true fundamentals of science. Find out more about Science and Engineering at Manchester .

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

2.1 UK Honours degree or equivalent. Applications from candidates with academic backgrounds in Marketing, Management, Arts, Fashion and Social Science (combinations of English, History, Languages, Politics, Psychology) related disciplines (minor or major) are particularly welcomed. All backgrounds must contain substantial management, marketing or social science content.

English language

All applicants will need to demonstrate competency in English language. Applicants who do not already possess an acceptable English Language qualification will need to take a recognised test and attain the required English Language score:

  • IELTS:  at least 6.5 overall with no sub-test below 6.0.
  • TOFEL iBT:  at least 90 overall with no sub-test below 20. We do not accept 'MyBestScore'.
  • Pearson PTE: at least 70 overall with no sub-test below 65.

Further information on language requirements can be found on our website .

Pre-sessional English

We will consider applicants who do not meet these scores but you may be required to complete a pre-sessional English language course at the University of Manchester prior to the start of the course.

To be considered for a pre-sessional English language course for this programme we require the following minimum IELTS (Academic) scores:

  • 6 Week Pre-Sessional Course:  Minimum 6.0 overall with no sub-test below 5.5.
  • 10 Week Pre-sessional Course: Minimum 5.5 overall with no sub-test below 5.5.

If you have not yet completed your current academic study and are interested in studying a pre-sessional course, you must hold an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test certificate.

English language test validity

Some English language test results are only valid for two years. Your English language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country .

Application and selection

How to apply

Apply Online :

Please only apply for one of our three Fashion courses: MSc International Fashion Marketing, MSc International Fashion Retailing, or MSc International Fashion Retailing (Entrepreneurship and Innovation).  If you wish to transfer your application or offer to one of the other Fashion MSc courses we can review this throughout the cycle, although there is no guarantee that we will be able to change it. 

Please check the academic background and entry requirements for each course. As there is high demand for this course we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. For further details and for the application deadlines, please see our staged admissions section.

If you are made an offer, in order to confirm your place you will be required to make a deposit payment of £1,000 on or before the deadline date stated in your offer letter.

Please note, refunds are only given for a limited number of reasons, see our page on  Acceptance deposits  for more information.

Staged admissions

Due to the competition for places, we give preference to students with grades above our minimum entry requirements. If we make you an offer, you will have 6 weeks in which to accept. Any offers not accepted within 6 weeks will be withdrawn so that an offer can be made to another candidate.

Stage 1: Application received by 27 October 2023. Decision by 15 December 2023.

Stage 2: Application received by 15 December 2023. Decision by 16 February 2024.

Stage 3: Application received by 23 February 2024. Decision by 26 April 2024

Stage 4: Application received by 03 May 2024. Decision by 28 June 2024.

You need to submit your supporting documents with your application as it may delay us processing your application by the decision deadline.

Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next stage. If this is the case we will let you know.

Applications received after our final application deadline will be considered at our discretion if places are still available.

Please note: All places are subject to availability and if you apply at one of the later stages, some courses may already be closed. We therefore recommend that you apply early in the cycle to secure your place with us.

Applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place must demonstrate that they have met all the conditions of their offer by 31st July 2024.

Advice to applicants

We require the following documents before we can consider your application.   

*Latest transcripts of study showing all modules completed including credit weighting and grades achieved   

*If you have not yet graduated, a list of the modules that you will be completing in the final year of your degree together with their credit weighting   

*An official document from your university verifying your current weighted average mark if this information is not included in your transcript of study. Please note : this must be recorded as a percentage, not as a GPA grade, and must give the weighted average mark, not an arithmetic average mark   

*We require a reference from someone who has knowledge of your academic ability in support of your application.  In most cases this should be an academic reference, from a lecturer or professor at your last/current university.  In some cases (for example, if your academic studies occurred some time ago) it might be more appropriate to submit a recommendation from someone who is familiar with your professional experience.  If you have difficulty in identifying a suitable referee you should ask for advice from the admissions team.  We will contact the referee directly after you submit your application and direct them to complete our online reference form.   

*Degree certificate if you have already graduated.   

*Curriculum vitae (CV) if you graduated more than three years ago.

If English is not your first language, we also require proof of your English language ability. If you have already taken an English language qualification, please include your certificate with your application.

We may be willing to consider your application without this document, but if we choose to make you an offer, the conditions will include IELTS (or equivalent qualification).You must submit all these supporting documents with your application. If any of the above information is missing, we will not be able to consider your application and it will be rolled forward to the next stage or withdrawn.

How your application is considered

We consider your full academic history including which course units you have taken and the marks obtained. Even if you have met our minimum entry requirements, we will take into account your marks in relevant course units in our final decision making.

If you graduated more than three years ago, we will also consider the information contained on your CV and any relevant work experience you have to assess if you are still able to fulfil the entry criteria.

Due to the competitive nature of our courses it is not normally possible to transfer between courses after accepting your place .

Interview requirements

No interview is required for this course.

Overseas (non-UK) applicants

CAS information

Please upload a copy of your current valid passport with your application showing the photograph page with your application. For CAS purposes, this must show your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and the date the passport is valid until, which must be later than the date of your planned arrival in the UK, and the start date of your course.

If you have previously studied in the UK on a Tier 4 visa as an undergraduate or postgraduate student, please send a copy of your previous CAS statement to us as it will assist with the issue of your new CAS statement. This includes study in the UK on study abroad programmes and any study that you did not complete.

You cannot use your CAS to apply for a visa more than three months before the start date of your course. The Admissions Team will contact you at the appropriate time.

Your CAS number is only valid for one Tier 4 application.

Deferrals

Applications for deferred entry are not accepted for this course. If you receive an offer for 2024 entry and decide not to accept it, should you subsequently wish to be considered for 2025 entry you would be required to reapply.  We therefore cannot roll any deposits forward to the next year so please check our website about our refund policy.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Course details

Course description

The International Fashion Retailing programme is one of three MSc Fashion Business programmes. Depending on your career aspirations and personal interests, we recommend that you also consider our MSc in International Fashion Marketing and our MSc in International Fashion Retailing (Entrepreneurship and Innovation).

On all these courses you will develop your skills for research, critical thinking, analysis, problem solving and effective communication in the context of fashion business.

International Fashion Marketing is a good option if you are interested in advertising, promotions, brand management and any other aspect of marketing. In contrast, International Fashion Retailing focuses more on retail, sales, and operations management. The further option is International Fashion Retailing (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) which is similar to International Fashion Retailing but emphasises how change and innovation can be managed within organisations and is also designed for those who wish to start their own business.  Please note: you should only apply for one of these Fashion courses.

The International Fashion Retailing master's course aims to equip the global fashion-retail managers of the future with skills in omni-channel retailing, technology and international business strategy. You will be joining a community of creative innovators who want to challenge their potential and make an impact on the fashion world.

The course focuses on the international scope of fashion business, discovering and understanding new emerging trends that impact upon fashion retail with a focus on real-world issues, such as sustainability, digital and globalisation. You will learn the managerial and subject know-how to enable you to innovate and create original and attractive products and services for an increasingly competitive international market. You will explore the evolution of retail from traditional 'bricks and mortar' stores through to the contemporary omni-channel strategy, and examine growth strategies and innovation in the global fashion and retail industry, including the potential of the metaverse.

The wide range of industry-relevant themes provide you with the opportunity to learn from insider experience including gaining an in-depth understanding of the fashion consumer and fashion retail channels to market.

This course is suitable for students from most academic backgrounds and equips graduates with the necessary management skills vital for a career in the fast-paced world of international fashion retailing.

Aims

The course aims to:

  • Equip students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to enable graduates to take a leading role in the continued success of fashion businesses by addressing the challenges facing the fashion industry.
  • Provide in-depth understanding of fashion retail channels to market focusing on the evolution of retail from traditional 'bricks and mortar' stores through to the contemporary omni-channel strategy, focusing on growth strategies and innovation in the fashion and retail industry.
  • Develop students' capacity for critical thinking and ability to present sound, well justified arguments and solutions to complex problems, recognising the interconnected nature of fashion business practice.
  • Enable students to explore new insights in areas such as sustainable development and strategic management of fashion businesses by drawing on the world-class research, teaching and practical experience of the Department of Materials, together with our excellent links to the industry.
  • Provide an intellectually challenging and stimulating learning environment, involving both independent and collaborative online learning activities.
  • Support employability in the fashion industry, with a strong focus on developing commercial awareness and a wider understanding of global citizenship.

Teaching and learning

The courses are campus-based and are delivered through a blended, flexible model. Students study a mixture of predominantly in-person, con-campus activities, lectures and classes, and recorded video content and other materials from lecturers.

Find out more by visiting the postgraduate teaching and learning page.

Coursework and assessment

We will assess your progress using:

  • written reports
  • oral presentations
  • examinations
  • dissertation project
.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Fashion Consumer Behaviour MATS61411 20 Mandatory
International Fashion Retail MATS61431 20 Mandatory
Research Methods MATS61441 20 Mandatory
Contemporary Issues in Fashion and Textiles MATS61452 20 Mandatory
Strategic Retail Management MATS61462 20 Mandatory
Omnichannel Retailing MATS61482 20 Mandatory
Dissertation MATS65000 60 Mandatory

Additional fee information

Additional fee information

If you are made an offer, in order to confirm your place you will be required to make a deposit payment of £1,000 on or before the deadline date stated in your offer letter.

We ask for the deposit as competition for places is high and there is limited availability. The deposit amount is then deducted from your tuition fees when you register on the course.

Once we receive your payment, your place on the course will be confirmed.

The deposit is non-refundable, except in the following situations:

  • You fail to meet the conditions of your offer
  • You are refused a visa or entry clearance to enter the UK
  • Your application for government funding has been unsuccessful

Evidence must be provided before a refund will be processed under any of the circumstances above.

If your offer specifies an English Language condition which you subsequently do not meet, the Admissions Team will require the official certificate of an English Language test taken after the date of the offer as evidence that you have attempted to meet your offer conditions. The English language test certificate provided with your application documents is not accepted as proof that you have attempted to meet your offer conditions as it will pre-date the offer.

If your offer specifies an academic condition, the Admissions Team will require official university documentation as evidence that you have not met the condition from the institution at which you studied.

Scholarships and bursaries

Across our institution, we offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding UK and international students each year.

The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study, and allocates £300,000 in funding each year. Our Manchester Masters Bursaries are aimed at widening access to master's courses by removing barriers to postgraduate education for students from underrepresented groups.

For more information, see the Department of Materials Fees and funding page or visit the University of Manchester funding for master's courses website for more information.

If you are a sponsored student please check the requirements of your sponsorship before registering on a course. If you require further information please contact the Department.

Facilities

The Department of Materials has moved to a brand new, state-of-the-art building, designed to transform the way our students study, research and shape the world. Our new Home for Engineering and Materials boasts a range of teaching spaces, laboratories, lecture theatres, multi-purpose study areas and social spaces.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

***

Studying at The University of Manchester on MSc International Fashion Retailing opened a door to the exciting world of fashion business to me, and I did enjoy how the campus is integrated in the city of Manchester, and how our academic life is intertwined with the Mancunian lifestyle

Lawrence Hua / Graduate 2016 - Currently Senior Operation Executive at Vogue China

Graduates from our Department have excellent employment prospects. Graduates from our three MSc courses in International Fashion have typically been employed as buyers, marketers, and PR-related roles. Several students join small start-ups or found their own businesses.

Thanks to the extensive contacts of our staff, we can help connect students to almost any part of the fashion industry that they are interested in.

Recent graduates from these MSc courses have gone on to work for companies including:

  • IBM
  • Marks and Spencer
  • Oasis
  • Mercedes Benz
  • Next
  • Charnos
  • National Westminster Bank
  • Shell
  • Milliken
  • Harrods
  • Burberry
  • Gucci
  • The Hut Group
  • ASOS
  • Prada

Accrediting organisations

This course is accredited by The Textile Institute and The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is the leading professional body for marketers worldwide and exists to develop the marketing profession, maintain professional standards and improve the skills of marketing practitioners. The University of Manchester has joined forces with CIM to give students the opportunity to gain professional qualifications through the CIM Accredited Degree partnership. CIM qualifications are highly sought after by employers, and their content is reflected in our own degrees which ensures we are equipping students with the best opportunities for a successful marketing career.