London Business School is to launch a Masters in Management degree which will be targeted at those students who have recently completed their undergraduate degrees in subjects as diverse as the arts, modern languages and science. The degree will begin in August 2009 with up to 100 students.

At £21,900 ($40,000) for the year, it is not cheap but will have a high number of professorial contact hours. Julian Birkinshaw, deputy dean in charge of programmes at LBS, argues it is certainly value for money. “We spent a lot of time talking to our recruiters,” says Prof Birkinshaw. “They want people who can get up to speed really quickly.”