Portsmouth Business School, University of Portsmouth

Age: 26

History: The school was originally created in 1985, but became a faculty within the University of Portsmouth in 1994. The MBA programmes have been offered for more than 20 years.

Address: New, purpose-built accommodation offering a state-of-the-art learning environment within the City campus, close to the city's historic dockyard.

Ambience: Enjoying some of the best weather in the UK, Portsmouth is a lively and cosmopolitan city, with excellent road and rail links, regional airports and ferries to continental Europe.

Vital statistics: The school has around 4,200 students (including over 1,000 postgraduates), 150 academic staff and 11 professors. Courses include the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) and several PhDs. The school also offers executive education and programmes across all business and management disciplines.

Added value: The MBA programme aims to combine applied problem solving, professional development and masterclasses.

Easy to get into? For the part-time executive MBA programme you'll need a degree and five years' work experience, although non-graduates with significant managerial experience are also encouraged to apply.

Gurus: Neil Rackham, visiting professor in sales and marketing; Professor Charlotte Rayner, expert on bullying at work; Professor Ed Borodzicz, risk, crisis and security management, disaster response, business continuity and terrorism.

International connections: Collaborative programmes in Bulgaria, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Moscow and Singapore. The school runs a BA in European Business in partnership with universities in France, Germany and Spain which attracts a generous student ERASMUS grant.

Student profile: A mix of part-time and full-time undergraduates, postgraduates and international students from around the world. The average age on the part-time executive MBA programme is 39, while on the full-time international option it's 31.

Cost: The MBA is £13,800 for UK and EU participants or £15,250 for overseas students.

Return on investment: Former student Andrea Rappe, now at IBM, says: "The MBA clarified my future career direction. It was the catalyst for a career development opportunity in my current organisation."

Who's the boss? Ann Ridley is the Dean.

Prospectus: www.port.ac.uk/pbs +44 (0)23 9284 8200; bus.admissions@port.ac.uk