Specialist Online MBA degree programs focused on luxury are in vogue. A number of business schools around the world offer online courses for those who want to progress in or switch to a career in fashion.
It is not an easy industry to break into. The luxury sector does not typically visit business schools in great numbers to hunt for talent, so success requires passion and persistence.
Still, luxury Online MBA courses offer a specialist education in a wide range of fields, from yachting and real estate to find wines, gourmet foods and luxury entertainment. Because of its heritage and culture, luxury management or marketing requires unique perspectives, in addition to the broad church of business and management skills that an MBA will provide.
Alumni networks and partnerships are especially helpful for students wanting to move into the world of luxury. Business schools work with top brands such as Gucci to provide real-world perspectives in the classroom, while MBA student clubs can help graduates build connections with the industry.
Crucially, the online course options appeal to those who do not want to sacrifice an income as they break or advance in the luxury sector. Here are the top 10 options.
Warwick doesn’t just run the world’s highest-ranked Online MBA, it also launched a Luxury & Innovation Hub in 2016. Students can draw on the school’s expertise to take classes in the future of the luxury sector in the digital age. There are also classes on luxury marketing to be had.
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USC Marshall offers a formal Graduate Certificate in the Business of Entertainment, which covers luxury food, exhibitions, theatre and literature. Online MBA students can pursue a joint concentration in marketing to further tailor the curriculum to the luxury world.
View School ProfileMIP has deep expertise in luxury, having run for several years the International Master in Luxury Management and a partnership with the fashion giant Gucci. In the school’s Online MBA, one of the world’s best, students can also draw on this expertise and take classes in luxury management and marketing.
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D’Amore-McKim offers a highly rated Online MBA. The school also offers a Brand Management Concentration for part-time students, with a heavy emphasis on luxury management and marketing. Students design, executive and test a strategic brand plan for a luxury organization.
View School ProfileStudents on the Live Online MBA at Hult can take classes in Luxury Marketing. The business school also runs a Luxury Industry Club, a student-led organization that helps develop connections within the industry to further the luxury careers of graduates.
View School ProfileUCLA Anderson offers an Entertainment Management Specialization, which includes tastemakers and high end corporate events, lavish wedding receptions and decadent parties. The Specialization is offered to students in UCLA’s Fully Employed MBA, a hybrid on-campus and online program.
View School ProfileRotman offers students a brand management specialism in its hybrid Global Executive MBA, delivered with Milan’s SDA Bocconi School of Management. Students can take courses from a broad range of areas such as luxury advertising, digital and global marketing.
View School ProfileThis leading school in France, offers a raft of luxury degree programs including the MBA Luxury Brand Management, Food and Wine and an MBA option focused on Jewelry & Cosmetics. The degrees are delivered in a variety of European locations with some modules available online.
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