Manchester Metropolitan University

Age: 109, if you count from its origins as Manchester Commercial Evening School.

History: Degrees began to be awarded in the 1930s. Went through various incarnations until it emerged as Manchester Poly. Hit the big time in 1992 when it became a university. Launched its part-time MBA in 1991.

Address: Business school has its own campus - Aytoun, named after a street - in the city centre, four minutes from Piccadilly station.

Ambience: Swanky new pounds 2m building erected four years ago, a white, chrome and glass job which houses the MBA and has three floors of library above the teaching rooms. (The most spacious business and management library in the city.) New edifice won a Royal Institute of British Architects Award.

Vital statistics: One of the largest faculties of its kind in the UK, offers a full range of courses from undergraduate to masters to doctorates. Its MBA is part-time, lasting two-and-a-half years, designed for experienced managers. Is a part-time regional provider for MBAs rather than a national school. MBA classes start at 4pm.

Added value: Unusual elective: business history. You can specialise by linking three electives together. As part of the MBA there's a management development programme consisting of workshops which run for two days on Friday and Saturday. Drop-in IT room means 110 workstations which you can tap into until 9pm and on Saturdays in term-time. All assignments are work-related and some of the exams are work-related too.

Easy to get into? Good degree or equivalent plus three years' minimum work experience.

Association of MBA's accreditation: Yep.

Glittering alumni: Diane Thompson, on the board of Camelot; Rubin Singh, said to be the youngest millionaire in Britain who runs the company Miss Attitude.

International connections: Has been involved with the Czech Republic since 1990. Through EU initiatives helped with curriculum development and infrastructure in the University of Economics in Prague. Validated an MBA in Prague - Man Met's own programme. Has also been helping to establish an Association of MBAs in Prague in co-operation with the Czech ministry of education and has accredited an MBA programme in Poland.

What about the students? They go abroad via the management development workshop in the second year which looks at doing business in a foreign country. Are taken to Central/Eastern Europe to investigate the management of change. The school has visited Hungary, Spain and the good old Czech Republic and likely to go to Slovenia next year.

Research: Awarded 3b (top grade is 5) in the research assessment exercise.

Teaching: Satisfactory by higher education funding council.

Gurus: Dr Scott Moss, head of the research centre for policy modelling; Tom Lupton, visiting prof, who comes to talk about how to manage change.

Student profile: Average age on MBA is 33. Male/female ratio 70:30. Good sector mix: one-third private; one-third public; one- third private utilities; plus a few individuals doing their own thing.

Cost: pounds 9,000 for MBA. All books, trips, airfares included.

Who's the boss? Marketing guru Prof Andrew Lock who likes to take risks on the ski slopes.

Next week: Middlesex University Business School.