Retail Management

Overview

Retail management programs prepare people to work in retail.

Retail management programs prepare people to work in and manage retail stores. Students learn how to make sales, manage customer service, and keep records. They also learn to direct staff and operations on a sales floor.

Retail management programs include topics such as:

Managing customer service
Recordkeeping
Directing staff and operations on a sales floor
Marketing
Accounting

Schools

Technical and career schools offer certificate programs in retail management. A certificate program usually takes several months to a year of full-time study. Many community colleges offer associate degree programs in retail management. An associate degree usually takes two years to complete.

A few colleges offer bachelor degrees in retail management. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study. A bachelor degree is good to work as a management trainee in a large retail operation.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

Related Careers

Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

Other Careers Related to this Program of Study

Program Admission

Proprietary schools, colleges, and universities all offer this program. If you want to study at a proprietary school, you can prepare for this program of study by completing your high school diploma or getting a GED. If you want to study at a college or university, you can prepare for this program by taking the following courses: four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Accounting
Algebra
Introduction to Business
Principles of Selling
Public Speaking
Retail Marketing

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

A certificate program in retail typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Principles of Retailing
Retail Merchandising
Retail Management
Retail Promotion

An associate degree program in retail management typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Business Writing
Buying for Retail Stores
Computer Applications in Business
Cooperative Work Experience in Retail
Human Resource Management
Introduction to Accounting
Introduction to Marketing
Principles of Economics
Principles of Management and Organization
Professional Selling
Retail Management
Small Business Management
Speech Communications

A bachelor's degree program typically includes most of the courses listed for the associate degree. Some of these will be in greater depth. Liberal arts courses will also be included, plus additional specialized retail management courses such as the following:

Specialty Merchandising
Theories and Practice of Merchandising
Visual Merchandising

Things to Know

Business courses in high school can be very useful preparation for a career in retail. If you intend to enter a degree program, your high school transcript needs to show that you are preparing for a demanding college-level program.