Warwick Business School

Age: 44

History: Created as part of the University of Warwick on a Greenfield site in the Sixties.

Address: On the Warwick campus, four miles south of Coventry.

Ambience: Students and delegates are taught in purpose-built centres close to the central campus with its shops, bars, extensive sports facilities and the largest arts centre in the UK outside of London. Recent investment has provided more teaching facilities, a postgraduate IT centre, and an interactive online teaching and learning application.

Vital statistics: One of Europe's biggest business schools, Warwick offers a full range of undergraduate, postgraduate, post-experience and doctoral programmes. The MBA is taught to over 2,500 managers using a range of flexible study modes. Full-time, executive and distance learning are all offered, and a new blended learning Global Energy MBA began in May 2009. The school also offers an MPA (Masters in public administration) and a lively executive short course programme for both organisations and individual managers.

Added value: Careers advice is part of the MBA programme, and students can switch between the modes of study to suit themselves. The Practice of Management core course aims to increase leadership skills and the ability to apply knowledge. For graduates lacking the necessary work experience for the MBA and who have not previously studied business, there is a one-year full-time or the new 30-month blended learning MSc in Management.

Easy to get into? The ratio of MBA applications to acceptances is 3:1, and you'll need a good first degree and a minimum of three years' relevant work experience.

Glittering alumni: Craig Baker, partner, Ernst & Young; Anne Gunther, chief executive, Standard Life Bank; Nick Horler, CEO, ScottishPower; Lesley James CBE; David Smith, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover.

Gurus: Andrew Sentence, professor of sustainable business; Mark Taylor, Professor of Finance, former Senior Economist at International Monetary Fund, Washington DC and Economist at Bank of England, Colin Crouch, Professor of public governance and policy from the European Institute in Florence.

International connections: More than half of the students and a third of the academics come from overseas, and there are exchange programmes with institutions in Australia, the USA, Canada, South Africa, the Middle East, the Far East and Europe.

Student profile: Full-time MBAs are between 25 and 44. Distance learners are 25-57. The male to female ratio on the full-time course is 3:1, while on the executive and distance learning it is 4:1.

Cost: The full-time MBA is £22,850; distance learning £16,500 and executive MBA £25,200; The latter two are spread over three years.

Return on investment: Expect a 110 per cent salary increase, three years after graduation.

Who's the boss? Professor Mark P Taylor is the new Dean.

Prospectus: +44 (0)24 7652 4100; www.wbs.ac.uk; warwickmba@wbs.ac.uk