Edinburgh University Business School

Age: An MBA has been on offer for over 28 years, although the university is centuries older.

History: Management has been taught here since 1918. Edinburgh was the first UK university to establish a chair of international business. Business postgraduates have had a dedicated building since 1991.

Address: In the heart of elegant Edinburgh.

Ambience: Modern building with 24-hour access and wireless facilities.

Vital statistics: The school offers four ways to study for an MBA – full-time over 12 months, MBA in international business over 15 months, part-time over 36 months or a modular MBA up to 48 months.

Added value: Boasts various research centres for public sector accounting, financial markets, credit, and entrepreneurship. At the heart of the school is the research access centre, which contains extensive learning resources underpinned by the school knowledge website. There's a career, alumni and corporate relations centre to help students nab internships and contacts, as well as a dedicated skills training officer.

Easy to get into? Applicants will need to have a good degree or equivalent and have a minimum of three years' work experience.

Glittering alumni: Brian Stewart, former chairman, Scottish & Newcastle Group and Standard Life; Chris Montgomery, Egon Zehnder; Donald McRae, head of strategy, Lloyds TSB (Scotland); Birna Einarsdottir, chief executive officer, New Glitnir Bank.

International connections: Students on the full-time MBA come from every continent and 30 countries. Partner schools are CBS, Copenhagen; EADA, Barcelona; ENPC, Shanghai and Paris, Fisher College, Ohio; Schulich School of Business, Toronto; Macquarie Graduate Management School, Sydney; Helsinki School of Economics, Finland.

Student profile: The average age of full-time students is 32; for part-timers it's 36.

Cost: The full-time MBA is £23,200; the part-time MBA is £18,900; and the MBA in international business is £24,700.

Return on investment: Better job and promotion prospects, salary increase and increased leadership potential through studying dedicated modules.

Who's the boss? Director Brad Mackay, whose research interests include strategy, green strategy, scenario planning and strategy, strategy and risk, strategic futures planning and strategic foresight.

Prospectus: +44 (0)131 650 9663; www.business-school.ed.ac.uk; mba@business-school.ed.ac.uk