Trend Research & Concept Creation in Lifestyle

The weekly hours in the first year of Trend Research & Concept Creation in Lifestyle will be divided as follows: 

Each study quarter, you’ll engage in a project and work towards a professional product as the end result. To create this product, you’ll gather knowledge under the guidance of coaches. After this, you’ll demonstrate in an assessment that you are competent at the desired level. This will immediately introduce you to the two main professions that you’ll be trained for: trend researcher and concept developer. 

The second year of the study programme is also built up of four quarters. In the first two quarters (semester 1), you’ll work on an individual project. The last two quarters (semester 2) will be dedicated to a group project. Additionally, you’ll work on different core tasks within different sectors during each quarter as well. Each semester ends with an assessment in which you demonstrate your competence at the desired level. The second year is all about deepening your knowledge of the sectors, as well as the professional roles of concept developer and trend researcher.   

International experience 

You’ll gain international experience by working on international assignments and going on a study trip. You’ll work on a real-world assignment for a company in a specific industry.   

The Idea Factory

During the last quarter of year two, you’ll ‘set up’ a Lifestyle Company together with fellow students. You’ll analyse trends and design a concept: you’ll shape it, test it, and introduce it to the market. All Lifestyle Companies present their concepts during the Idea Factory. Future employers will also be invited to this event. 

In the third year, you’ll follow a minor and do your internship. The internship is an important part of your studies, as it allows you to put into practice what you learned in the first two years. You’ll gain practical experience as a concept developer.  

You can choose which minor you’ll follow. Choose a minor from the interesting offerings of Fontys University of Applied Sciences or follow courses at  another university. Have you always wanted to study abroad? The minor is an excellent opportunity to spend 6 months of your studies abroad at one of our 45 international partner universities.  

An internship or minor abroad has added value, is challenging, and offers a fun international experience. 

During the final year of this course, you’ll choose a specialisation. You can choose two sectors (i.e., appearance, living, food, human movement, health, leisure, and work) in which you want to further develop your skills. Additionally, you can choose from a wide range of specialisation modules and further specialise within the core tasks of trend research and concept creation. 

Bachelor thesis 

You’ll also start working on your Bachelor thesis. Here you apply the knowledge that you have gained in the specialisation modules by designing a concept. You can freely choose the company for which you will work on your Bachelor thesis assignment. You’ll present your final Bachelor thesist to future employers during the Graduation show.