Bath University, School of Management

Age: 45

History: The institution's roots go back to the Bristol Trade School of 1856, which begat Bristol College of Science and Technology. This became the University of Bath School of Management in 1966, moving from Bristol to Bath in 1975. The MBA began in 1968.

Address: On a hill 650 feet above Jane Austen's beautiful spa town, a Unesco World Heritage site. Gorgeous views of the Mendip Hills.

Ambience: Friendly and spacious. Students keep fit by walking one mile up the hill from the town or by taking advantage of some of the best university facilities in the UK. There's an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a sports village.

Vital statistics: One of the oldest schools of management in Britain, with a strong reputation in teaching and research. It runs full-time and executive part-time programmes. MBA class sizes are kept to a maximum of 60.

Added value: The annual entrepreneurship project challenges all MBA students to propose a start-up business. Teams of students present their case for funding to a board made up of business executives, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, IP lawyers and academics. The school also has dedicated MBA careers and alumni offices.

Easy to get into? You will need at least three years' managerial experience and a good degree or professional qualification for the MBA. The average level of experience in the workplace is eight years across both full and part-time executive programmes. The GMAT is strongly recommended for international candidates applying for the full-time MBA.

Glittering alumni: Noel Lock and Ingram Legge, founders, the Green Fuel Company; Justin King, Sainsbury's CEO; Bob Wigley, chairman, Merrill Lynch International (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Russell Senior, ex-Pulp guitarist.

International connections: Some 75 per cent of the school's full-time MBA students, and 35 per cent of its academics, are from overseas. Undergraduate exchanges are organised with more than 30 top institutions around the world.

Student profile: The average age is 33 on the full-time MBA, and 35 on the part-time MBA. The ratio of men to women is 63:37 on the full-time MBA and 61:39 on the executive part-time MBA.

Cost: £18,900 for the one-year full-time MBA, and around £20,750 for the executive part-time MBA, which offers a compressed two-year route.

Return on investment: Salary boost. Graduating earnings for full-time MBA students range from £40,500 to £95,000 (the average is £54,340).

Who's the boss? Professor Richard Elliott, who founded the Centre for Research in Advertising and Consumption.

Prospectus: +44 (0)1225-383 4321; bath.ac.uk/management