Fashion Project - course unit details - BSc Fashion Buying and Merchandising - full details (2025 entry)

Duration: 3 years or 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: 6G49 / Institution code: M20

Key features:
Study abroad
Industrial experience
Scholarships available
Field trips
Accredited course

Typical A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
Typical contextual A-level offer: ABB including specific subjects
Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBB including specific subjects
Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 35 points overall with 6,6,5 at HL

Full entry requirements How to apply

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Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £38,000 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

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

The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances. For information about scholarships and bursaries please visit our undergraduate student finance pages and our the Department funding pages .

Course unit details:
Fashion Project

Course unit fact file
Unit code	MATS34552
Credit rating	40
Unit level	Level 6
Teaching period(s)	Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit?	No

Overview

There is a state of perpetual change in the fashion and textile industry with each stage in the product development process intrinsically and strategically linked.

Aims

Encourage a number of skills required for a career in the commercial world by consolidating the fashion/textiles, management, marketing, buying and merchandising and retailing studies that the students have undertaken to date at level -4 and -5 and exploring how these have been approached by the fashion/textiles industries:

Develop an understanding for the importance of design to business competitiveness whilst considering effective practices in industry.
Draw attention to the importance of the decision-making process for strategic business plans.
Develop specialist knowledge and understanding in fashion textiles marketing
Introduce the theoretical concepts relating to fashion marketing communication
Encourage students to develop a creative appreciation of fashion textiles

Learning outcomes

A greater depth of the learning outcomes will be covered in the following sections:

Knowledge and understanding
Intellectual skills
Practical skills
Transferable skills and personal qualities

Teaching and learning methods

This unit makes use of a variety of learning and teaching processes including: lectures, problem based learning, practical sessions; case studies, and discussions. Blackboard will be used to present lecture notes and supporting materials for the unit. The lectures with develop the theoretical subject knowledge, whilst the case studies and discussions will evaluate the importance and application of techniques, with practical sessions visualising these findings. Blackboard may also be utilised for assessment using Turnitin.

Knowledge and understanding

	Show awareness of management theories pertinent to the fashion and textile industries; Critically appreciate of the management and communication issues entailed in design, innovation and strategy in a global textile and fashion industry; Analyse product development theories and processes in order to aid strategic planning; Evaluate the relative merits of a range of fashion strategy and marketing communications tools. Contributing to developing A9 programme learning outcome and the assessment of:
A1.	Systematically describe, analyse and appraise the structure of global fashion, textiles and related industries, with focus on the emerging issues of markets, services, consumer expectations within the macro-environment.
A5.	Confidently distinguish the key elements of contemporary challenges and issues in fashion and textiles and use these systematically in strategic planning of operational responses.
A7.	Interpret the language of imagery and symbolic content in fashion consumption, with particular reference to forecasting, branding and product development for the fashion and textile industries.
A8.	Articulate the processes, procedures and practices of fashion retail, marketing, management and buying and merchandising strategies.

Intellectual skills

	Review and critically appreciate the management issues in the fashion and textiles industry. Analyse and critically evaluate various theories of design management and product development. Appreciate the role of design in business, understand the design process and how to manage this effectively, develop a set of business tools for design management. Reflection on the challenges facing the fashion industry Contributing to developing the programme specification learning outcomes and assessment of:
B1.	Identify and conceptualise appropriate theories, applying them to the fashion and textile industry.
B2.	Synthesise, assess and evaluate information and data from appropriate sources and use these to make informed, independent judgments and decision making in relation to technical product and/or business contexts.
B4.	Exercise original thinking and independent learning to design and execute a project to evaluate and analyse a business concept or a technical aspect of garment or textiles products.
B6.	Undertake the development and execution of a major independent project in an appropriate area.

Practical skills

Practice the management theories in ‘real-life’ or case study scenarios,
Report writing, problem analysis and presentations.
Produce trend boards for fashion and products.
Articulate and synthesis market and trend data through planning, conducting and evaluating research.

Contributing to developing C2 and C3 programme learning outcomes and the assessment of:

C4.

Identify and employ appropriate sources of information.

C6.

Use practical design communication methods effectively in a fashion and textile context.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

	Show appreciation of effective management practices for creative ideas and people. Communication, team work and time management. Organise research findings into a written report. Presentation methods and the ability to communicate through various design tools. Contributing to developing D1, D2, D4 and D7 programme learning outcomes.
D3.	Clear and effective communication, using a range of styles and employing various media appropriate to the context.
D5.	Critical reflection upon own performance and use this to identify areas for personal development as part of a lifelong learning strategy and a foundation for continuing professional development.
D8.	An ability to apply creative and visual sensibilities in a commercial context.

Assessment methods

Method	Weight
Project output (not diss/n)	100%

Feedback methods

Written and verbal

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures	40

Independent study hours
Independent study	360

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Rachel Studd	Unit coordinator

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BSc Fashion Buying and Merchandising