Grenoble Graduate School of Business

Age: 27

History: Founded in 1984, Grenoble Ecole de Management is one of Europe's top management schools. It offers a wide range of programmes at all levels for French and international students, from undergraduate to doctorate level on 11 campuses worldwide.

Address: 12 rue Pierre Sémard, Grenoble Cedex 01, France.

Ambience: Innovative and multicultural. Nestled in the heart of Grenoble's business district and just a stone's throw from Minatec, Europe's centre for research into micro and nanotechnology, the futuristic campus has full wireless internet access. Teaching focuses on technology and intercultural management, exploring the impact of information and communication technology on management.

Vital statistics: With over 5,000 students and 117 full-time faculty, the school is one of few business schools worldwide to hold the triple-crown of business accreditations from AACSB, EQUIS and of course AMBA.

Added value: The school's strength is in technology management and innovation. There's a big emphasis on intercultural dynamics and language development. Students have the opportunity to study several other languages, and are taught to think globally but act locally. The MBA programme is taught entirely in English.

Easy to get into? No. Requirements for the MBA are three years' of work experience, proof of English proficiency, recommendation letters, and essays.

Glittering alumni: Philippe Adrien, POMA Export Commercial Director; Dan Virkstis, press secretary at the US Senate Committee on Finance; Denis Coupé, integration vice president at MGE UPS Schneider Electrics; Rena Kalogianni, sales manager at Louis Vuitton; Aniekan Esenan, manager, supplier, market analysis and strategy, Alstom.

Gurus: Mohand Hamoumou, Sociologist and Professor; Michelle Mielly, Head of the MSc Marketing and Intercultural Management trainer; Victoire de Margerie, Professor, Chairman of Rondol Technology (UK), Non Executive Director of Outokumpu (Finland) and Ciments Français (France/Italie); Bruce Barr, a consultant for top executives; Walter Blass, a former AT&T director and now a consultant in strategic planning and telecommunications; Professor John Sadowsky, marketing and leadership speacialist.

International connections: There are 96 different nationalities represented at the school and 120 on its campuses worldwide. The school offers its MBA programmes in several other countries, with plenty of opportunities for networking.

Student profile: 85 per cent of the 2009 class is international. The average age on the programme is 29 with a male to female ratio of 3:2.

Cost: The full-time and part-time MBAs are €26,000, the Global Executive MBA is €59,100 .

Return on investment: Salary hike, better career prospects and access to senior management positions.

Who's the boss? Thierry Grange is the dean.

Prospectus: +33 47 670 6231; admissions@ggsb.com; www.grenoble-em.com