Spa Management FdA
A spa qualification that focuses on the management of the business and its people. It’s suitable for qualified therapists with an NVQ or BTEC in beauty or spa, who need a course which fits around their work and family commitments. Because it’s online, we use innovative ways to help you build practical skills and to make sure the course is interactive and engaging. That includes the chance to visit a spa in Europe.
Backed by the spa industry
This online Spa foundation degree was designed in consultation with industry professionals, including the Spa Business Association, the British Spa Association and HABIA (the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority). This means that its content will relate directly to today’s spa industry, and give you the skills and knowledge that employers, or your own business, needs.
Innovative ways to learn
Studying online gives you the flexibility to study at the most convenient time and place for you. Course modules still operate within a fixed semester or term time, but you can choose to study during the day, in the evenings or at the weekend rather than having to attend fixed lectures. If you are taking the Therapies pathway, you may benefit from some face-to-face tuition, so we offer summer schools in our on-site commercial spa, located in Buxton, to cover practical elements of the course. If you already work in a spa role though, you may not need to attend this summer school.
To make sure the course material is brought to life, we use online discussion forums so you can debate topics with other students from all over the world, as well as a double module at each stage which directly asks you to apply your learning to your day-to-day role, ensuring the course is as useful to your career as possible. There’s even an optional one week trip to a European spa - previous locations include Morocco, Slovakia, Bath and Harrogate.
Course Length:
Up to 4 years of part time study
Start Dates:
September and January
Entry Requirements:
Starting this course in January 2012?
Our entry requirements are usually 100-120 UCAS points from A levels or equivalent qualifications, such as a BTEC National Diploma, Scottish Highers etc. If you've completed an Access/Foundation course, we also accept these qualifications.
Starting this course from September 2012?
Our entry requirements are usually 160 UCAS points from A levels or equivalent qualifications, such as a BTEC National Diploma, Scottish Highers etc. If you've completed an Access/Foundation course, we also accept these qualifications. The UCAS tariff points are a guide – we'll also consider all the information that you've included in your application. We'll also want to see that you're enthusiastic and motivated to take this course and that you have the potential to benefit from a University degree.
Fees:
| Per Module | Modules | Total | Start | |
| UK | £300 | 16 | £4,800* | Sept/Jan |
| Non UK | £405 | 16 | £6,480* | Sept/Jan |
*Prices correct for 2011/2012. Subject to annual increase.
Fees Description:
Costs for the optional one-week trip are additional (approx £550 plus spending money). Further information will be provided when you begin the course.
Career Information:
This course is excellent preparation for a supervisory or managerial role in the spa industry, because of its focus on the business and people management aspect. It’s also ideal preparation for starting your own spa business.
Most people taking the course are already working in the industry as a qualified spa or beauty therapist, but this qualification gives them the confidence and skills to apply for more senior roles in the UK or overseas, such as:
- supervisory positions in salons, resort hotels or cruise ships
- teaching and training roles
- positions in product companies.
You may also want to top up your foundation degree to a full BSc (Hons) degree, by completing the final stage of the online BSc (Hons) International Spa Management course, also available to study online.
Course Leader:
Student Profile:
Career Information
This course is excellent preparation for a supervisory or managerial role in the spa industry, because of its focus on the business and people management aspect. It’s also ideal preparation for starting your own spa business.
Most people taking the course are already working in the industry as a qualified spa or beauty therapist, but this qualification gives them the confidence and skills to apply for more senior roles in the UK or overseas, such as:
- supervisory positions in salons, resort hotels or cruise ships
- teaching and training roles
- positions in product companies.
You may also want to top up your foundation degree to a full BSc (Hons) degree, by completing the final stage of the online BSc (Hons) International Spa Management course, also available to study online.
Modules
Stage 1
Core Module
Marketing and promotion are recognised as being fundamental to business success in service industries such as spa. This module will introduce you to contemporary marketing issues like buyer behaviour, social networking, and the global nature of markets in our interconnected world. It focuses especially on the promotional aspects of marketing a service like spa.
Areas covered include:
- An overview of contemporary marketing
- The extended marketing mix
- The changing nature of global markets
- Research, market segmentation and targeting
- Consumer motivation and purchase behaviour
- The nature of the service product – lifestyle process
- Expectations and perceptions of a service
- The promotional process and media landscape – return on investment
- Consumer motivation and purchase behaviour
- Important and multiple roles of promotion.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework: a 1,500 word report.
Credits: 15
Core Module
Particularly useful for those students who haven’t studied for a long time, this module allows you to develop the skills you need to succeed in academic study, research and assessment.
You will cover:
- Electronic resources
- Academic writing
- Undertaking a literature review
- Critical reading
- Academic referencing styles
- Presentation styles and skills
- Group work
- Research design and methodology
- Interpreting data
- ICT skills
- Exam techniques.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 60% coursework – a 1,000 word literature review – and 40% exam: a 90 minute exam.
Credits: 15
Core Module
Contemporary service industries operate within a fiercely competitive environment, in which the quality of the customer experience is a critical factor in organisational success. Since the customer experience relies much on the skills and competencies of front line and support staff, it’s important that organisations have effective systems and procedures for managing human resources. Therefore, the aim of the module is to develop your skills, knowledge and understanding of human resource management theory and its application within service industries such as spa.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. For part 1 (40%) you’ll be asked to produce an outline recruitment plan for a job of your choice (800 words). For part 2 (60%) you’ll be asked to investigate and analyse performance management and retention strategies used within the service sector (1000 words).
Credits: 15
Core Module
This module is an introduction to legislation relating to the spa industry, effective treatment packaging and co-operative working with other spa professionals.
We will cover:
- A variety of relevant legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work Act, Musculoskeletal disorders, cash handling, and the Consumer Protection Act
- Spa hygiene: causes of infections, methods of sterilisation, sanitisation, public facilities, and ventilation
- Spa safety: electrical safety, chemical and physical hazards, heating and fire safety, salon lighting and gas safety
- Reception skills: maintaining services and operations, supervising staff, security, checking and maintaining work schedules and rotas, planning charts (C. S. B. T.) computer treatment planning, record keeping, client advice, and spa packages
- Treatment packaging: planning and timing of beauty treatments, working with fitness suite, nutritionists and complementary therapists
- Spa operations: the maintenance of changing rooms, the spa environment and treatment areas.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. 50% is based on a portfolio you’ll build, which documents the relevant health and safety checks and procedures that need to be conducted within a spa. The remaining 50% is based on an effective treatment package which you will develop, using all aspects of the spa environment.
Credits: 15
Core Module
In this module you will gain a greater understanding of customer needs and expectations. We’ll evaluate current practices and strategies for enhancing the customer service experience within organisations.
You will cover the following areas:
- Customer care policies: customer service culture, improving customer perceptions and satisfaction, improving repeat business, factors affecting the quality of service, staffing levels, inter-personal skills, training, and legislation.
- Communication: presenting a professional image, motivation, self-awareness, verbal and non-verbal communication, body language, developing confidence, dealing with varied situations and difficult clients.
- Customers: customer types, meeting customer expectations, customer care, trends, cultural diversity, customer research, sources of information, primary and secondary research data, analysing data, using data to make improvements.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. 30% is based on a questionnaire you’ll be asked to design to assess current customer service satisfaction levels within your organisation. The remaining 70% is based on a report evaluating current customer service practice within your organisation, including an analysis of the data collected and an action plan for future improvements (2000 words.)
Credits: 15
Core Module
You’ll develop a practical understanding of the purchasing, costing and control techniques used to help the manager of a service based industry such as a spa, make effective short term decisions.
Topics include:
- Elements of cost
- Setting selling prices
- Control of stock and cash
- Stocktaking and consumption
- Trial balance procedures
- Final accounts
- Limited companies
- Sales profitability ratios
- Liquidity ratios
- Efficiency ratios
- Financial ratios
- Budgetary control
- Types of budget
- Variance analysis
- Cost categorisation and contribution application.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. For the first part (50%) you will be expected to analyse 2 sets of financial accounts for a service based organisation and provide a 500 word explanatory essay. For part 2 (50%) you will produce a written explanation of the budget setting process and construct a cost statement (1,000 words).
Credits: 15
Core Module
This module introduces you to the concept of continuing professional development. You will learn to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to identify and prioritise development needs as well as apply business related skills in a practical way. There’s also an option to give your project an international focus.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. Part 1 (50%) is a review of your personal strengths and weaknesses and the development of a project to address areas of weakness (2000 words).
Part 2 (50%) will be a written report identifying how the project/activity has benefited both you and your organisation (2,000 words).
Credits: 30
Stage 2
Core Module
The contemporary marketing concept is about achieving corporate goals through meeting and exceeding customer needs better than the competition. In this module, you will learn how marketing tools and the exciting and changing media landscape, can be used to strengthen organisations’ brands, optimise consumption of their product/service, improve utilisation of their assets (ROCE/ROI) and overall business performance.
We will cover these topics:
- The roles of marketing and sales management within the organisation
- The service concept – quality and its positive contribution to promotional investment
- Services – characteristics
- The promotional challenges and increased opportunities
- The importance of the brand
- Capacity and demand management
- Core and augmented product
- Segmentation, targeting and positioning
- The control elements of the communications process based upon traditional and emerging AIDA models
- Semiotics in marketing and promotion
- E-business – virtual, viral and the rest
- The media landscape – Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), the brand, ROCE
- Relationship and network marketing.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework: a 2,000 word report.
Credits: 15
Core Module
Understanding consumers’ wants and needs as well as satisfaction levels is an important, but under-skilled and under researched area. Therefore, this module will help you develop basic skills for research, which are relevant to the spa industry. It will cover:
- Researching and analysing academic work and referencing skills
- Specifying research questions and testing hypotheses
- Research styles and traditions: quantitative and qualitative; combining both methods
- Building up a feasible research design including ethical, sampling and reliability evaluation as well as philosophical approaches
- Primary research methods, such as interviewing, focus groups, observation, questionnaires, SPSS
- Analysing and presenting data
- Ethical issues in research approach and design and recognition of the University’s research ethics policy guidelines.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. You will need to compile a portfolio of between 3,000-3,500 words which includes designing and implementing a pilot research study and then critically reflecting on its feasibility and validity.
Credits: 15
Core Module
You will learn how to take the necessary decisions in a service sector environment, to ensure effective resource management and sustainability. Effective decisions come from using effective purchasing and control systems and applying these in specific situations.
You will cover areas such as:
- Relevant costs and revenues for decisions
- Cost-volume profit analysis
- Long-term decision techniques
- Sources of finance
- Long-term capital structure and costs
- Investment ratios
- Investment in working capital.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. In part 1 (30%) you’ll be asked to provide an analysis of a service sector operational situation, apply appropriate financial decision techniques and make suitable recommendations (800 words). In part 2 (70%) you will be asked to develop and recommend a financing decision based upon the analysis of the financial strategy and performance of a service sector business (1,500 words).
Credits: 15
Core Module
The quality of service is crucial to achieving business success in service industries like spa. Supervisors and managers need to harness the skills, competencies and commitment of staff to provide services to the standards expected.
In this module, you will be introduced to theoretical perspectives of managing people, learn to recognise the changing nature of management and analyse the role of supervisors and managers within the service industries.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework: an evaluative report which investigates management practices and their impact, within a service sector organisation of your choice (2000 words).
Credits: 15
Core Module
You will learn all about effective retail design. You will investigate the theories behind retail design, operational planning and promotional displays and will critically analyse a spa’s current retail area, by implementing the theories researched.
We will cover the following areas:
- Design detail: working to key objectives of a project, working to scale measurements, technological changes.
- Techniques for promoting the features and benefits of products: special offers, promotional material, seasonal trends, promoting products to gain customer interest, opportunities most likely to increase sales opportunities and to suit customer needs and the needs of the business.
- Web based planning and design tools
- Product knowledge
- Market research
- Effective use of space
- Local competition
- Costs and profitability: critical success factors, operative budget, fashion cycles.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. 30% is based on an essay (1000 words) in which you will critically analyse the effectiveness of a design of a retail area within a spa. 70% is based on detailed plans of a proposed retail display area and promotion, including supporting research and rationale.
Credits: 15
Core Module
The continued growth of the service sector and the relatively high failure rate of small businesses means that there is a need for successful business planning. This module will give you the knowledge and skills you need to plan a small business venture.
We will cover:
- Business management and operations
- Finances and costing
- Decision making
- Retailing and sales
- Market segmentation
- Human resource management and leadership
- Business plans.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework: you will be asked to produce a 4,000 word business plan.
Credits: 15
Core Module
This module builds upon the previous work based module. You will investigate management practices with a workplace of your choice – usually your own. It encourages you to manage your own development against a range of transferable skills:
- Interpersonal skills
- Working with and relating to others
- Personal skills
- Self-development
- Application of academic knowledge
- Information technology.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. Section 1 (50%) is a 2,000 word report on an aspect of management practice in your chosen workplace. Section 2 (50%) is a written summary of your self-development during the course (3,000 words).
Credits: 30
Starting this course in January 2012?
Our entry requirements are usually 100-120 UCAS points from A levels or equivalent qualifications, such as a BTEC National Diploma, Scottish Highers etc. If you've completed an Access/Foundation course, we also accept these qualifications.
Starting this course from September 2012?
Our entry requirements are usually 160 UCAS points from A levels or equivalent qualifications, such as a BTEC National Diploma, Scottish Highers etc. If you've completed an Access/Foundation course, we also accept these qualifications. The UCAS tariff points are a guide – we'll also consider all the information that you've included in your application. We'll also want to see that you're enthusiastic and motivated to take this course and that you have the potential to benefit from a University degree.
Apply Now
Applications for Online courses are made through the main University of Derby website.
By clicking on "Apply now" below you will be redirected to the University of Derby website to continue your application process.
Fees
| Per Module | Modules | Total | Start | |
| UK | £300 | 16 | £4,800* | Sept/Jan |
| Non UK | £405 | 16 | £6,480* | Sept/Jan |
*Prices correct for 2011/2012. Subject to annual increase.
Fees description:
Costs for the optional one-week trip are additional (approx £550 plus spending money). Further information will be provided when you begin the course.
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