Bachelor in Textile Engineering & Management

Introduction

The international clothing and textiles market is, without a doubt, a very dynamic one. To be successful in this industry you need to be able to draw not only on your technical knowledge of textiles, but also increasingly on a sound understanding of business principles.

150 Years ago, textile production was centred in Enschede and the surrounding area and therefore textiles are essential for the history of the city. Likewise, a textile course has been on offer in Enschede for the past 150 years. The Textile Engineering and Management programme, unique in the Netherlands, is based in Enschede at Saxion University of Applied Sciences. The content of the course developed over the years; as much of the manufacturing was transferred to the Far East, the course moved from covering just materials and production to include, in addition, the study of business principles and commercial developments.

Course content

In the first two years of the course students acquire the necessary fundamental knowledge in the field of Retail, Marketing and Sales. They also attend lectures on Product Construction, Textile Technology, Finishing and Quality Control to gain the required knowledge in this area.

After the second year students can choose one of three specialisations:

1. Product Management Fashion, with focus on purchasing, product quality, textile technology and clothing manufacture/garment technology
2. Product Management Textiles, this specialisation also pays significant attention to the other important textiles sectors, namely interior design and technical textiles. As well as being interesting from a materials point of view, these two sectors are witnessing frequent technological innovations and hence offering interesting career prospects for the future.
3. Marketing & Sales, highlighting business economics, marketing, merchandising and e-commerce.

The educational programme consists of building blocks of theory and practice. In one quarter (ten weeks), the students receive a thorough grounding in the theory, through lectures, seminars, practical workshops and guest speakers. The students then work on a project in the following quarter, putting this theoretical knowledge into practice.

For example: in Quarter 3, students are taught about Buying, (sport) materials, knitting, (international) law and English. Then in Quarter 4, they have to complete a Global Sourcing project. In this project, students work (in English) on a case for a real brand, analysing whether the company should enter the sports clothing market and, if so, what they should purchase and why. In a very realistic setting, the students have to explain their findings to the board of directors, in both a final report and a presentation. Conducting the entire project in the English language helps prepare the students thoroughly for an international working environment.

Structure of the programme

The first 1.5 years provide the students with a solid basis for anybody wanting to be employed in textiles. During the course of this period students are helped to make a choice for one of the three streams of specialisation, be it Product Management  Fashion, Product Management Textiles, or Marketing & Sales, . The first choices on topics can be made in the last semester of the second year. In the third year students do a six-month-internship at a relevant company after which they continue at school to gain more in-depth knowledge. Finally, at the beginning of the fourth year there is a minor/exchange period during which the students can further specialize, for instance by spending time at a foreign partner institute.

The final half-year of the programme is spent working within a company, mostly in groups of two and largely independently, on a research project for the dissertation.

A team of several enthusiastic lecturers, many of whom have worked in the textiles sector, teach this course using modern real-life business cases to challenge and inspire the students. The lecturers are very helpful in sharing their knowledge and experience, whilst encouraging the student’s personal development too. The course programme is very varied, comprising a mix of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and projects, ensuring all the material covered is directly relevant to practical situations in the textiles business.

Lessons are held in two buildings: one is steeped in history, dating from the early days of Enschede's textiles course. The other is brand new (opened in September 2009) and ideally suited to the dynamic world we are helping to prepare you for. It’s a fantastic building with lots of glass and light, providing an inspiring base for around 450 enthusiastic Dutch and German students who are keen to immerse themselves in all aspects of today’s world of textiles.

Career prospects

Students with a lot of knowledge on the product and additional business skills have a wealth of options open to them in the dynamic international world of clothing and textiles. Some realistic examples of first jobs within the fashion, interior design and manufacturing sectors are: purchasing assistant, production assistant, product specialist, merchandiser, junior product manager, junior logistics manager, sales product manager, concept designer, quality control.

Requirements

First of all you have to meet the general entry requirements. Besides that, the following applies to all students wanting to enrol in Textile Engineering and Management.

You should of course be interested in clothing and textiles and on top of that you should be interested in different cultures, you do have to speak English fluently and you should have the ambition to go global. Since you work in an trendy environment some trendawareness is necessary.  In the clothing and textile industry you definitely need some commercial feeling.