EDHEC Business School has three campuses in France; MBA students are lucky enough to be based in the sunny southern city of Nice. The programme is officially called the Theseus-EDHEC MBA in honour of the Athenian hero who, among other achievements, defeated the Minotaur and his maze. The course is designed with a particular emphasis on personal development and supporting would-be entrepreneurs; the school has its own in-house incubator, which assists many students with their plans.

Vital statistics. Applicants are expected to have at least three years' work experience, ideally in an international environment, and a minimum GMAT score of 600. The programme is built around three main themes: management science; personal development; and knowledge in action. Courses within this include critical thinking, microeconomics, philosophy and strategic information systems. However, the MBA takes an integrated approach, meaning that students approach case studies from multiple perspectives rather than considering single business areas. The ten-month course is taught entirely in English; tuition for the 2008-09 programme is €32,500 (£25,000).

Ranking. EDHEC is 76th in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Which MBA? guide 2007. It came second in the “Potential to Network” category.

International experience. The course incorporates two week-long global business modules that allow students to travel overseas to learn about developing economies in countries such as Poland, Turkey and India.

Work experience. One of the final components of the course is an eight-week consulting project. Companies that have been involved in recent projects include Oracle, IBM, HP Compaq and Ericsson.

Application deadline: Admissions Committee review sessions are held monthly from December until May 31

Sources: mba.eiu.com, theseus-mba.edhec.com

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