Edge Hill University Business School

Age: Edge Hill University has been teaching business since 1990 but has only recently taken awarded its own degrees.

History: The institution's roots go back to the 1880s, when Edge Hill was founded as a woman's teacher training college. It moved to the Ormskirk campus in 1933. Previously, graduates received degrees from Lancaster University, but it now awards its own.

Address: Ormskirk, Lancashire, a small market town with Victorian arcades and cosy sandwich bars, lying about halfway between Liverpool and Preston.

Ambience: A new business school building was scheduled to open in December 2008. All staff and classes will be located in this new state of the art 'green' home. The campus is self-contained, with a mixture of original buildings and new developments. Facilities include halls of residence, shops, a bar and club venue, a restaurant, coffee bars, a comprehensive learning resource centre and an impressive £3.9 million sports centre. The surrounding countryside and nearby coastline is stunning, and multicultural Manchester is about 30 miles away.

Vital statistics: Currently, undergraduate options predominate. BSc programmes include accounting, business and management (part-time and full-time), marketing, web systems design and information systems. 2008 saw the launch of a range of taught postgraduate programmes in business and computing, including an MBA; MAs in management and marketing and communications; and MScs in web systems development, internet computing and computing and information systems. The school also offers a part-time MSc in management development, and an MPhil or PhD in business management or computing.

Added value: The small size of the university (15,000 students) ensures a high level of academic and pastoral support, and all full-time postgraduate students in the school undertake a placement as part of their programme. This is reflected in high ratings in the National Student Survey. There is also a professional theatre on site, which hosts a range of visiting productions and concerts throughout the year.

Easy to get into? For postgraduate courses, applicants need a 2.2, a high level NVQ, professional qualification or degree-level abilities. The university says it will interview all non-traditional entrants who have substantial and relevant management experience.

Gurus: Dr. Terry Wallace, organisational behaviour and critical management; Dr. Paul Greenbank, education and policy making research.

Teaching: Edge Hill was rated at or above the national average in all seven teaching quality areas in the first National Student Survey, and was one of the best in the north-west for management.

Student profile: More women than men are on the postgraduate courses at Edge Hill, and participants are typically in their mid-30s. International student numbers are increasing.

Cost: The new MBA will cost £9,250. Home students pay £2,600 for the part-time MSc. Other full time programmes are £3,600 for home students or £7,900 for overseas.

Who's the boss? John Vaughan is the school's director.

Prospectus: 0800 195 5063; www.edgehill.ac.uk