Program Overview

Retail Management Program

The Retail Management program at Toronto Metropolitan University is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the retail industry. The program highlights four areas in retail as pathways into the field, supported by faculty expertise and research.

Retail Focuses

The program identifies four focus areas in retail, each including 4-5 courses that students should take if they are interested in pursuing that area. The focus areas are:

• Retail Buying, Planning & Merchandising
• Social Media & Digital Retailing
• Retail Data Analytics
• Retail Leadership & Innovation

Retail Buying, Planning & Merchandising Focus

This focus area is critical for the retail industry, as buying and merchandising are direct drivers of sales. Students in this stream will learn about maintaining a competitive advantage by understanding customers, forecasting sales, controlling inventories, preparing buying plans, developing assortment plans, managing vendor relations, and effectively pricing merchandise.

Courses:

• RMG 400 - Merchandise Buying and Planning I
• RMG 806 - Retailer Perspectives on Category Management
• RMG 452 - Visual Merchandising and Space Planning
• RMG 909 - Merchandise Buying and Planning II
• RMG 434 - Intro to Logistics and Supply Chain Mgmt

Possible Careers:

• Buyer
• Merchandiser
• Visual merchandiser
• Merchandise planner
• Digital merchandiser
• Category lead
• Procurement specialist

Social Media & Digital Retailing Focus

This focus area integrates social media and digital retailing into the practices of 21-century retailers. Students will learn about social media marketing, digital advertising, and the future of retailing as they develop expertise in the digitally-enhanced customer journey.

Courses:

• RMG 922 - Retailing 2.0: Social Media Marketing
• RMG 817 - Digital Advertising in Retailing
• RMG 302 - Retail Consumer Insight
• RMG 910 - Omni-Channel Retailing

Possible Careers:

• Social media manager/marketer
• Digital strategist
• Online community manager
• Digital analyst
• Marketing and communications officer
• Content creator
• E-commerce manager

Retail Data Analytics Focus

This focus area is central to retail decision-making, as retailers rely on data analytics to improve operations, gain detailed consumer insights, and create personalized shopping experiences. Students will gain practical experience translating large datasets into meaningful insights about how to solve complex business problems.

Courses:

• RMG 919 - Visualizing Data for Decisions
• RMG 500 - Retail Strategy
• GEO 419 - Retailing, GIS and Geodemographics
• RMG 700 - Applied Retail Research
• RMG 911 - Retail Sales Management

Possible Careers:

• Data analyst
• Retail strategist
• Business intelligence analyst
• Business analyst
• Customer experience analyst

Retail Leadership & Innovation Focus

This focus area features experiential learning and immerses students in the exploration of sustainability, equity/diversity/inclusion, entrepreneurship, and social change throughout the retail environment.

Courses:

• RMG 908 - Issues and Innovations in Retailing II
• RMG 100 - Issues and Innovations in Retailing I
• RMG 912 - Sustainability and Social Change
• ZON 200 - Zone Learning Project II
• RMG 917 - Experiential Learning - International Study

Possible Careers:

• Retail entrepreneur
• Retail sustainability specialist
• Territory/department/store managers