Trinity College Dublin,School of Business Studies

Age: 47

History: Trinity College was founded in 1592, and its School of Business was one of the first in Europe. The Trinity MBA began in 1964.

Address: On the campus of Trinity College, Dublin.

Ambience: The business school is in a modern building on an ancient campus surrounded by parklands, gardens and sports fields.

Vital statistics: Small class sizes of up to 40 students ensure that everyone participates fully. The programme has an integrated set of five modules geared towards general management. It aims to develop a practically-driven view of the subject, with three projects where students work in the business community during the academic year. It's designed for creative, articulate and strategically oriented young professionals and managers.

Added value: All students have to work on a group company project. Teams of five are assigned one of the participant companies (multinational, financial services or large indigenous organisations). Students work through an Industry and Company analysis to identify critical issues and make recommendations that can be acted on. This assignment constitutes the students’ dissertation, and can also lead to jobs at the end of the MBA. Students work through Enterprise Ireland with high potential start up companies to clarify their business opportunities, define their business model and clearly identify their markets.

Easy to get into? There's an interview, and you'll need three years of work experience under your belt, as well as a degree or equivalent. You'll also need to pass the GMAT. If English is not your first language, or if you haven't worked in English before, you'll need a TOEFL or IELTS.

Glittering alumni: Hoang Trung Hai, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam,Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, and Brian Wilson, director of Aga Khan's Fund for Economic Development, are among the school's alumni.

Gurus: Professors John Murray, strategic management; Paul Coughlan, operations management.

International connections: Links with Babson College for innovation and entrepreneurship. There are more than 83 nationalities in exchange programmes across Trinity's campus.

Student profile: Almost half of the students in the 2008 intake came from outside Ireland (42 per cent from outside the EU). Just under half of participants are female. Average age on the MBA is 31.

Cost: Last year, tuition fees were €29,500. A limited number of scholarships are available to EU citizens.

Return on investment: Career boost and salary hike, as well as access to a large network of associates.

Who's the boss? Dr Gerard McHugh is head of the school, and Vincent Dooley is the director of the MBA.

Prospectus: +353 1 896 1000; www.business.tcd.ie; school.of.business.studies@tcd.ie