South Africa is a pioneering force in the field of business education with established institutions offering accredited MBA programmes of the highest calibre.

Studying for an MBA need not be a worry with the increasing range of options available at most MBA schools, from studying part-time to taking your MBA over the Internet.

The MBA is a post-graduate programme designed to prepare professionals to deal with all aspects of the complex and competitive world of business today.

In 2004, South Africa’s Council on Higher Education completed an extensive re-accreditation of MBA degrees offered in the country, a process that has undoubtedly raised the standard of local MBA programmes.

Many questions and uncertainties have been identified during the MBA re-accreditation process, particularly among students and prospective students.

You will want to begin by identifying those programmes that fit your basic requirements.

Excellent MBA programmes are now found all over the world and not just, as was once the case, in America. Richard Barker provides a checklist of what makes a programme world class.

Remember that getting an MBA is one thing - getting one that is respected and recognised may be a different thing.

Rankings come in many shapes and sizes. But all rankings have one thing in common: they are just one way to judge a business school.