English 
Deutsch 
Who this German-taught Fashion & Design Management B.A. is for
This full-time programme suits you if you already have strong German language skills and want to build a career at the interface of creation, marketing and business. Typical candidates include: school-leavers aiming for product management or brand roles in the fashion and lifestyle sector; retail or e-commerce assistants/buyers looking to professionalise and step into management tracks; and creative diploma-holders who want to add solid business training to their design background in a major German city (Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich or Wiesbaden).
Admission requirements
To join the 7-semester, 210-ECTS B.A., you need a recognised higher-education entrance qualification and proof of German for academic study. Key points:
- General university entrance qualification: German Abitur or an equivalent international school-leaving certificate that qualifies you for university studies in Germany (recognition based on German higher education regulations).
- Admission with foreign qualifications: international diplomas are assessed for equivalence; certified translations and official transcripts are typically required.
- Admission without Abitur: possible with a completed Meisterprüfung or a formally recognised professional/vocational qualification that entitles you to enter higher education.
- Teaching language: German throughout the programme. You must provide certified German proficiency for study; common proofs at German universities include TestDaF, DSH or a Goethe-Zertifikat at an appropriate level.
- No numerus clausus (NC). An application and selection process at your preferred campus applies.
Personal requirements
Expect a full on-campus workload with lectures, studios, projects and a six-month internship. During teaching periods, plan for roughly 35–40 hours per week across classes and self-study, plus additional time in peak phases (project submissions, exam prep). You will succeed if you bring:
- Very good German comprehension for lectures, readings and assessments; solid English helps with international content and sources.
- Self-organisation and reliable time planning to balance modules, team projects and the mandatory internship.
- Perseverance and curiosity for data- and trend-driven work (from market analysis to pricing and merchandising).
- Communication skills for cross-functional collaboration between design, marketing and buying.
- Comfort with numbers and digital tools (e.g. basic accounting, Excel, e-commerce KPIs) and a willingness to build them further.
If you are relocating to Germany, factor in visa lead times, accommodation search, and funding for living costs on top of tuition. A proactive start on your German academic vocabulary will make the first semester substantially smoother.
What will you study in Fashion & Design Management at AMD Akademie Mode & Design?
This programme is taught in German throughout. If you apply from abroad, you will need advanced German language skills for lectures, group work and exams; the university states that the teaching language is German, while individual modules may run in English. Recognised German certificates are required as evidence when specified by the university.
You combine solid business training with deep product and industry know-how. Early modules introduce business administration and economics for the fashion sector alongside communication and presentation. Typical topics here include marketing, management and accounting, supported by statistics and financing & investment. You also build academic skills and learn design-specific law and e-commerce fundamentals.
In parallel you develop a strong understanding of product, technology and design. You explore textile and clothing technology, material technology and fashion & design history. Methodological tools such as design methodology, technical drawing, IT applications and visual communication help you speak both the creative and managerial languages inside a fashion company.
From the middle of the degree the focus shifts to management in fashion businesses: strategic and international management, pricing and product management, HR management and communication management. You work on quality management, supply chain management and controlling to understand how collections move from concept to customers across retail and e-commerce.
Learning is consistently practice-oriented. You will complete diverse company projects, take part in guest lectures and trade fair visits, and spend a full six months on a compulsory industry internship. The AMD Spring and Autumn Academies bring a one-week, interdisciplinary workshop format where you collaborate across degree programmes and grow your network. The final semester is dedicated to your Bachelor’s thesis (B.A., 210 ECTS over 7 semesters) including supervision and a colloquium.
Electives and labs let you set a profile. Options include the Brand Strategy Lab, a Sustainability Lab (with the sustainability focus shown on your degree certificate if combined with an academy workshop), as well as Virtual, Staging and Marketing Labs. You can also integrate an optional semester abroad, for example at Berkeley College in New York. If you prefer to study fully in English, AMD offers an English-taught variant of this programme.
How does studying in the Fashion & Design Management programme work?
Teaching language and what that means for you
The degree is delivered in German across all semesters. Some modules can be held in English, but your day-to-day teaching, teamwork and most assessments are in German. International applicants therefore need strong academic German. Provide an accepted German certificate when required by the university at admission or enrolment.
Study model and where you will study
You study full time on campus at one of AMD’s locations: Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich or Wiesbaden. These are major German fashion and media hubs with strong retail and creative industries. Berlin offers a fast-paced fashion scene and trade fairs; Düsseldorf connects to wholesale and showrooms; Hamburg links to media and e-commerce; Munich concentrates premium and luxury; Wiesbaden sits within the Rhine-Main metropolitan region. Choose the city that best fits your interests and living budget.
Learning format, group work and academic support
The curriculum combines lectures and seminars with hands-on project work, company collaborations and workshops. You learn how brands are built and how collections are planned by working on concrete briefs. The AMD Spring and Autumn Academies add intensive, week-long interdisciplinary workshops that strengthen soft skills and professional networks. Throughout the degree you will receive supervision for your internship and individual guidance for your Bachelor’s thesis.
How you will be assessed
Assessment aligns with the applied profile of the programme: graded coursework in projects, presentations and case studies, written work in academic modules, and the final Bachelor’s thesis with colloquium. The six-month compulsory internship is a credit-bearing practical phase within the 210-ECTS structure.
Enrolment as a non-EU student
This is an on-campus, full-time programme in Germany. Plan sufficient time for your application, admission and enrolment steps, including language proof and official documents. If you require a student visa, factor in visa processing and proof-of-finance requirements in your timeline and budget.
What does the Fashion & Design Management programme cost?
Tuition is €750 per month over the standard duration of seven semesters (3.5 years), adding up to €31,500 in total. This covers your academic teaching and supervision, including the six-month internship semester. Check whether one-off enrolment or examination fees apply at your chosen campus and how payments from abroad are handled; monthly invoicing is common at private universities in Germany.
Living costs vary significantly by location. As a rule of thumb for student life in Germany, plan on average monthly expenses for accommodation, food, public transport, health insurance and incidentals roughly in this order of magnitude:
- Berlin, Hamburg, Munich: higher rents and demand; budget notably more for housing, especially in Munich.
- Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden: mid-to-upper range; costs depend on neighbourhood and room type.
Your actual budget will depend on your housing choice (shared flat vs. studio), lifestyle and part-time work options. Set aside funds for study materials, trade-fair visits and occasional excursions. Ask the university early about any institutional scholarships or tuition models available to international students and about accepted payment methods from outside the EU.
What careers and recognition does the Fashion & Design Management programme offer?
The degree awards a Bachelor of Arts with 210 ECTS credits under the Bologna framework. The programme is accredited for the period 01/09/2021 to 31/08/2029 via Hochschule Fresenius’ internal accreditation procedure. ECTS credits and accreditation signal transparent workload and quality assurance, which helps admissions officers and employers abroad understand your qualification for master’s study or graduate roles.
Career entry points sit at the interface of creation, product and market. Typical roles include:
- Product Management for apparel, accessories or lifestyle assortments
- Buying and Sourcing, including material procurement and vendor coordination
- Brand Management and Marketing Communications across on- and offline channels
- E-commerce, Merchandising and Omni-Channel Retail Management
- Sustainability Consulting and Reporting for fashion and consumer brands
With campuses in leading German fashion markets, graduates find opportunities in manufacturers, brands, retailers, agencies and platforms in Germany and the EU, as well as internationally. As always, salaries vary by location, company size and role complexity; internships, labs and company projects during your studies strengthen your portfolio and can accelerate your first placement.
Who is the Fashion & Design Management programme right for – and who not?
This degree suits applicants who want to combine business acumen with a real understanding of products, materials and the creative side of fashion. It is a good fit if you are aiming at management or marketing roles in apparel, lifestyle or consumer goods and prefer learning by doing with strong industry contact.
- You are fluent in German and want to study fashion business on campus in Germany.
- You enjoy both numbers and narratives: product margins, pricing and supply chains as much as brands, trends and campaigns.
- You value practical training: a six-month internship, company projects, guest lectures and trade-fair insights.
- You seek profile-building options such as Sustainability or Brand Strategy Labs, with the specialisation shown on your degree certificate.
- You plan for a master’s later and appreciate a 210-ECTS bachelor that can facilitate advanced standing.
It is not the right choice for everyone. Read the points below carefully before you commit, especially if you apply from outside the EU.
- The programme is taught in German. If you do not already meet the required German level, you should choose the English-taught variant or learn German first.
- This is an on-campus, full-time degree. If you cannot relocate to Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich or Wiesbaden for several years, consider distance or part-time alternatives.
- Tuition fees apply. Compared with public (state) universities in Germany, private tuition is higher; you need a clear financing plan for tuition and living costs.
- The focus is management in creative industries, not fashion design. If you seek a studio-heavy design degree with pattern cutting or collection development as the core, choose a dedicated Fashion Design programme instead.
Lade…
Advisory Service
Have questions about Academic Programs Fashion & Design Management? Ask your question here, even anonymously. An employee of the institution AMD Academy Mode & Design or the editorial team will answer you.