Leeds University Business School

Age: More than 80 years old.

History: Started life as the Department of Commerce in the 1920s, it became Leeds University Business School in January 1997.

Address: An award-winning conversion of the 19th-century former Leeds Grammar School near the city centre.

Ambience: Gothic exterior, state-of-the-art interior. International-quality lecture and seminar rooms, with high-quality computing access and audio-visual facilities. Relaxing parkland just across the road.

Vital statistics: The full-time MBA lasts one year. The executive MBA takes two to three years. Both culminate in an organisation-based project.

Added value: Programmes are research-driven: income from research contracts has topped £2.8m in the past five years, with staff consulting for more than 80 companies. The university's new innovation centre for business start-ups is next door. The school is particularly supportive of industry-relevant academic work for policy-makers and practitioners, and gains substantial income through awards from research councils, charities and the public and private sectors.

Easy to get into? Full-time applicants need at least three years' management experience, while executive MBAs need a minimum of five, and a GMAT score of at least 600. If English is not your first language, you will also need to pass an approved test in English equivalent to a minimum IELTS score of 6.5.

Glittering alumni: Ian Dyson, financial director, Marks & Spencer; Peter Hendy, commissioner, Transport for London; Martin Scicluna, chairman, Deloitte UK.

Gurus: Professors Peter Buckley, international business; Bill Gerrard, sport management and finance; Gerard Hodgkinson, organisational psychology; Costas Katsikeas, marketing; Kevin Keasey, banking and financial services; Peter Moizer, accounting; Malcolm Sawyer, economics; and Yongcheol Shin, econometrics.

International connections: The school is part of Carnet, an international network of accredited business school career professionals, which assists students and companies in the recruiting process. It has good links with India and Russia.

Student profile: The average age on the full-time MBA is 30; on the executive MBA it's 36. The male-to-female ratio is 3:2 on the full-time MBA and 3:1 on the executive option.

Cost: Full-time UK and EU students pay £17,000; or £20,500 non-EU MBA students. The executive MBA is £17,000.

Return on investment: Salary and career boost.

Who's the boss? Professor Peter Moizer, an expert in accounting.

Prospectus: +44 (0)113 343 2610; www.business.leeds.ac.uk; mba@lubs.leeds.ac.uk