Manchester Business School Worldwide

Age: 16.

History: MBS Worldwide has been delivering part-time MBA programmes for more than a decade. Three industry-specific MBAs are on offer, aimed at financial managers and professionals, engineering business managers and construction executives. The recently launched Manchester global MBA is an intensive two-year programme designed for senior executives.

Address: Part of the University of Manchester, with international executive centres in the United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Jamaica and Brazil.

Ambience: An administrative team is on hand to offer support to the students.

Vital statistics: Students have the opportunity to study for a world-class MBA from a triple accredited business school without taking a career break or committing to fixed weekly classes. More than 80 per cent of MBS Worldwide academics have international experience.

Added value: The experiential learning and the face-to-face teaching elements in the programmes are delivered by the same senior faculty who teach on the full-time MBA and DBA courses. It stages "residential workshops" at which students and faculty meet to put theory into practice, addressing management issues through face-to-face contact and the exchange of ideas.

Easy to get into? You'll need a good first degree and three years of relevant work experience for the industry-specific MBAs (six for the Manchester Global MBA). On average, students have 10 years of experience. The MBA for financial managers and finance professionals offers an accelerated programme in which coursework exemptions are granted to fully qualified accountants and chartered secretaries.

Gurus: Professors Pete Naude, marketing; Patrick McNutt, managerial economics, anti-trust and competition policy; Bob Ryan, financial analysis and management; and Dr Nick Collett, banking, capital markets, and finance.

International connections: Several dedicated international executive centres in UAE, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Jamaica and Brazil. Some 86 per cent of MBS Worldwide MBAs come from outside the UK. The international MBS alumni network has 5,000 members in 130 countries.

Student profile: A male to female ratio of 73:27, and an age range of 23-64.

Cost: It's £17,400 to do the MBA for financial managers, financial professionals, engineering business managers and construction executives; £16,400 to do the accelerated MBA for financial managers; and £19,800 for the Manchester Global MBA.

Return on investment: Career advancement, promotion and a salary increase.

Who's the boss? Nigel Banister is chief executive officer and Dr Alistair Benson is academic director.

Prospectus: +44 (0) 01248 672270; www.mbs-worldwide.ac.uk