The Diploma in Retail Management (DRM) gets you going on a tertiary-level education in business skills and knowledge with a specific focus on the rapidly expanding retail industry. Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) has energized the retail industry to the extent specialist knowledge is required to cope with market competition.

This one-year course has been calibrated in terms of academic content and assessment standards skills to be equivalent to the first year of undergraduate business degrees in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. If you aspire to further your education in retail industry in universities in these countries, the DRM gives you a clear pathway.

Besides academic advancement, the DRM empowers you to maximize your employability by

• turning you into a confident business executive equipped with the toolkit to assist your managers in solving problems and making decisions,
• inculcating you with a lifelong learning mindset that drives for continuous improvement and innovation; and,
• Instilling ethical values to ensure you become a responsible global citizen in a highly competitive business environment.

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes for the DRM are centred on the core abilities of
 

• understanding,
• remembering and
• application

By completing the DRM successfully you will be able to:
 

• Communicate professionally and confidently.
• Be digitally savvy in commerce.
• Be able to skilfully plan, organise and manage time.
• Understand, evaluate and apply basic statistical techniques in business.
• Understand and apply economic jargon and concepts in evaluating business developments.
• Understand, recollect and apply core concepts of business and management to resolve problems and assist in formulation and implementation of important business decisions.

Syllabus

The DRM consists of 8 modules totalling 120 credits.

Recognition

Universities in Australia and UK and international examination bodies accept DRM for advance standing into their courses on a case-by-case basis.

Eligibility

To graduate with the Diploma in Business Management you must:

• complete a total of 120 credits within a maximum period of two calendar years or 24 consecutive months of initial registration with BBMS
• obtain at least a Pass grade in all modules
• be registered with BBMS for at least 15 credits in each term

Examination and Exemption Regulations

• Students have a period of 2 calendar years or 24 consecutive months to complete the DRM.
• Students must attain at least 90% attendance to be eligible to sit for the final examination of each module.
• Students will only be given one opportunity to retake a failed examination. If the student fails again, then the student will be required to repeat the module in full. Pro-rata fees will apply for each module repeated.
• There is no limit to the number of times the student can repeat any module.
• Students must familiarise themselves with the rules governing the conduct of examinations as published in the Students Handbook.
• Students are advised to complete the Practical Skill category before attempting the Professional Knowledge category.
• All exemptions are subject to final approval by BBMS Academic Board.
• Exemption fee equivalent to the pro-rata fees for each module will apply.
• An Exemption Application fee also applies.

Course Structure

Duration

• One academic year of 4 terms.
• Maximum duration to complete course is two consecutive academic years of 8 consecutive terms.

Lectures

• Lectures are of 3 hours duration each.
• Each module of 15 credits receives 45 hours of direct lectures.
• Each module of 15 credits receives 105 hours of self-study and self-directed activities.
• All lecturers are fully qualified with either a Master’s degree or a Bachelor’s degree with at least 5 years of relevant professional experience.
• Students will need to buy the study materials as directed by the lecturer.

Term

• Term stars in January, April, July or October of each year.
• Duration for each term is 12 weeks.
• Part-time, evening classes available.

Assessment

• Each module is assessed by a combination of assignments, projects and end-of-term examinations.

Career Opportunities

The DRM provides you with the necessary practical skills and professional knowledge for you to obtain a junior business executive position in any industry or sector of the economy.

International DRM graduates should be able to successfully apply for “S-Pass” issued by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower for employment in Singapore. 

Tuition fee=SG$ 650

Admission Requirements

Singapore students:

Academic Requirements:

• BBMS Certificate in Business Management
• GCE A Levels – minimum of 1 'A' Level with a pass in General Paper
• 5 GCE 'O' levels with one year of working experience
• 3 GCE 'O' levels with three years of working experience
• Higher NITEC (ITC) or ITE Certificate in Business Studies (Accounting/Secretarial) with one year of working experience
• NITEC in Service Skills (Retail) with three years of working experience.
• ITE Certificate in Office Skills with three years of working experience.
• Certificates and Diplomas issued by international examination bodies like LCCI, ABE etc.
• Applicants who do not meet the above requirements may also apply, but will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

English Language Proficiency:

• At least a C6 in English Language at GCE O Levels.
• completed a English-based course of study

International students:

Academic Requirements:

• BBMS Certificate in Business Management
• Certificates and Diplomas issued by international examination bodies like LCCI, ABE etc.
• Successfully completed at least 12 years of education in their home country.
• Applicants who do not meet the above requirements may also apply, but will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

English Language Proficiency:

• Applicants whose education was not in English must demonstrate proficiency with the following or its equivalent:
• IELTS score of 5.5 (with no sub-band less than 5.0)
• TOEFL score of 525 with a Test of Written English (TWE) of 4.0 in the paper based test
• TOEFL score of 69-70 with minimum score of 16 in Writing in the internet based test