Description

Contents

The purpose of the course in Fashion Communication is to prepare professional communicators to specialise in fashion. Students are taught the skills and the methods used to develop and produce events organised for the fashion industry. The topics covered include all the phases of the communication process (fashion communication, fashion writing and editing, advertising and web communications), designing and managing events, PR and the press office, for the purpose of achieving an effective transmission of the brand, its values and its philosophy.

The course trains young professionals to be capable of conceiving and managing integrated promotion strategies, seeking out external relations with other industry operatives, monitoring advertising campaigns, looking after media relations and organising events and catwalk shows.

The first year is devoted to providing students with the basic skills they need for adopting a strategic design approach to the area of communications for fashion. In addition to familiarising with the fundamentals of cultural and technical knowledge, students also learn how to apply correct design methods, starting with an analysis of the market and of the fashion product and the definition of the identity of the recipient of the communications, then working through to the completion of a communications plan coherent with the skills thus acquired.

The second year focuses on developing the skills necessary for designing a communication plan for a brand or a firm, by learning and using traditional tools and developing on the theme of knowledge and analysis of strategic activities in the new media and the web. By implementing these cultural, technical and IT skills, students learn how to read and understand fashion as a complex system of signs and trends, so as to suggest their own vision of it and a personal storytelling, both organised coherently in projects.

In the third year, the course concentrates on strengthening students skills so as to hone their design abilities and cultural knowledge, ensuring that they are based on the ability to act independently, maintaining a critical approach and focusing on innovation and quality, all skills that help them break into the working world. By developing their studies of the industrys more innovative channels and means of communication and articulated design approaches, students learn to elaborate and develop an idea of interpretation and of a storyboard for the contemporary fashion system that culminates in building an original overall vision for it.

IED Florence partners with a network of corporate contacts working in the fashion industry and located all over the city and its district, so as to maximise its links with local industry and craftsmen, cater optimally to the industrys needs and apply the knowledge and skills acquired. In particular, the course is conducted in partnership with Luisaviaroma.com.

Requirements

1. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS SET BY THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY AND RESEARCH

In order to be eligible for admission to a 1st Level Academic Diploma*, leading to an academic degree awarded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) students must:

• hold a Secondary School Diploma that:
a. satisfies the requirements to enter university education in the awarding country
b. was conferred on completion of min. 12 years of previous global schooling**
• be proficient in the language of the chosen course (Italian/English);
• not be enrolled to any other course in any other Academy or University;
• be 18 years old by the end of the year in which the course starts***;
• comply with Admission and Enrollment procedures;
*Equivalent to a three-year Bachelor of Arts course.
**Students who do not comply with the minimum 12 years of previous global schooling may apply to the chosen course and obtain a IED Diploma. BA H courses validated by University of Westminster do not require 1.b.
Students attending the last year of Secondary School must provide an attendance certificate while waiting for the original diploma.

2. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS*

Courses in Italian
BA / IED Diploma courses

To get the most out of the courses that carry accreditation from the MIUR/AFAM Italian system a level B2 of language proficiency in Italian (as established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages-CFRL) is recommended.

To prove the necessary language proficiency the applicant has to present a language certificate issued by authorised bodies or undergo a language assessment test (please see point 2.2).
Moreover in some Non-EU countries, Italian Authorities may ask international students to fulfill a minimum Italian language requirement, including a minimum number of hours of Italian language studies, in order to issue a Visa. Students who wish to access a BA Course in Italian should therefore investigate in their home country about this requirement and how many hours of Italian language study they need.

They are generally 160 hours for Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries; 360 hours for Eastern Europe countries; 500 hours for Far East and Middle East countries.

Courses in English

BA / IED Diploma courses
To get the most out of the courses that carry accreditation from the MIUR/AFAM Italian system a level 5.5 IELTS (68 TOEFL IBT or equivalent) of language proficiency in English is recommended. To prove the necessary language proficiency the applicant has to present a language certificate issued by authorised bodies or undergo a language assessment test (please see point 2.2).

BA H validated by Westminster
For Bachelor of Arts with Honours Degree courses that carry accreditation from the University of Westminster, a level of language proficiency in English of IELTS 6.0 (or TOEFL IBT 79-80) is required. To prove the necessary language proficiency the applicant has to present a language certificate issued by authorised bodies and undergo a language assessment test (please see point 2.2).

*This section does not apply to mothertongue students.

2.1. IED LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS*

IED believes that the proficiency language level should be reached by all students, at the latest, before the beginning of the 2nd year of the course. IED allows admission to the first year of the course to students who can demonstrate a A2/B1 level of proficiency provided that there is a serious commitment to reach the B2 level within the timeframe indicated above.

There are two ways for an applicant to prove that he or she has the necessary language proficiency and learning capacity:
a. present a language proficiency certificate;
b. in case of absence of a certificate, take the IED online Language Assessment Test.

The Language Assessment Test will evaluate the feasibility of the above opportunity and the amount of academic debits, if any, that the students will have to fill:
• Level B2 or higher, student will be directly accepted;
• Level A2/B1 student will have to attend the mandatory Prerequisite Language Course.

The Prerequisite Language Course aims at enhancing conversation and vocabulary skills with a focus on design specific terms to allow a better participation to the classes. If they do not reach Level B2 at the end of the first module, they will continue with the extracurricular language module achieving the targeted language proficiency level within the timeframe indicated above.

The cost of the Prerequisite course and of the extracurricular language courses are not included and must be added to the Course Enrolment and Tuition Fees.
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility and/or language entry requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact your Advisor.
*This section does not apply to mothertongue students.

English Language Requirements