MBA training in Southampton is among the best in Europe according to new data.

The Economist Intelligence Unit reveals that the University of Southampton's MBA for Experienced Managers has just been ranked in the top 30 MBA programmes in Europe.

Dr Charles Wilkinson, MBA director in the School of Management, said: "This is excellent news. The whole MBA team has worked hard in recent years to enhance the quality and relevance of the students' learning experience. It's great to see some recognition of their efforts and commitment. As well as achieving this position in the EIU league table, in 2002 the MBA has also seen students enrol from 15 different countries, and recruitment of part-time students has more than doubled since last September."

Through its annual publication of Which MBA?, the Economist Intelligence Unit has been surveying the views of MBA students for 14 years, and is in a unique position to provide a ranking based on the key factors students themselves highlight when they choose a business school.

The University's MBA programme for experienced managers has been significantly revised and restructured following a year-long consultation exercise involving students, alumni, employers and teaching faculty.

"The objective was to make the programme more relevant to today's managerial environment and more attractive and challenging to both full-time and part-time participants," said Dr Wilkinson.

"New content in the core programme is largely concerned with e-business issues. The wide range of option modules already available has been further increased by the addition of three related groups of modules, in order to allow specialisation in entrepreneurship, health care management or education management."