I am interested in doing my MBA but not for the reasons that many others do their MBAs. I do not need to work at McKinsey or even build a big network to get a job. I run a small design shop with two other partners and am generally happy doing what I do.

Instead, I would do an MBA to help me understand the fundamentals of business - biz dev and marketing especially. Knowing more in these areas would help me build my business.

My partners are ok with me taking a year off to do an MBA for this reason. But I don't have a huge budget, and since I don't really need a top school, I hope this is ok. Does anybody have any suggestions for something I can do - hopefully on a budget of maybe £20,000, or less, preferably - which would provide a solid education?

http://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-schools-by-location/top-10-budget-mba-programs-in-europe
Check this out for programs in Europe. . I have been researching for MBA in Turkey recently.. It has some accredited and also some great unaccredited MBA programs I. E. Boğaziçi University.. Check this out http://find-mba.com/schools/europe/turkey
And why don't you try your luck with some U.K. business schools! ! They re little ahead your budget but you may land some scholarships.. http://find-mba.com/lists/other-top-business-school-lists/top-10-mba-programs-in-england-for-25000-or-less
And next is Canada..
1.HEC Montréal http://find-mba.com/schools/can/canada/hec-montreal
2.Ryerson University http://find-mba.com/schools/can/canada/ryerson-rogers
3.Wilfrid Laurier University http://find-mba.com/schools/can/canada/wilfrid-laurier-waterloo
4.University of Ottawa http://find-mba.com/schools/can/canada/ottawa-telfer
5.Simon Fraser http://find-mba.com/schools/can/canada/simon-fraser-beedie
More accredited but budget Canadian MBA can be found here..
http://find-mba.com/schools/americas/canada?keyword=&rank=false&accredition=true&cities=&specs=&sort=popularity&page=1

French schools are there too..
http://find-mba.com/schools/europe/france
I haven't been looking for french schools but I know there are some good value ones..I have no idea about the free schools in Germany or Austria..but I doubt their quality.
Consider other East European regions such as Poland,Italy and Russia. .but why bother when you have accredited budget programs.. There are few accredited Malaysian universities but reviews aren't usually good..
bdw what kind of design do you do?? Bologna Business school is great for studying Brand management.. http://find-mba.com/schools/europe/italy/bologna-alma
If you want to know about the programs specializing in Brand management there are many excellent programs out there but those MBAs belong to Design schools..and they aren't listed here.. such as IFA Paris,ESMOD Paris,LIM New York(focused on entrepreneurial studies),Instituto Marangoni(Italy),Paris School öf Business are some.. There are many other MA and Msc courses.. There are other MBAs in brand management too.. But they are either costly,unpopular or require background in design studies..

Why don't you just learn online and/or read books that exactly fit your need? If you don't need the other advantages of an MBA (network, ...), then just don't do an MBA. That will save you lots of money and time given your clearly stated entrepreneurial goal.

I generally agree with Dan85. However, there are some really big benefits of getting some practical experience - though an internship or startup-building component - that can help a small business owner see their own challenges through a new lens.

But a main issue with the super low budget programs is that they are often only one year long, which makes it hard to fit in an internship. Maybe look at the Coursera / Illinois online iMBA, which I believe includes some practical components.

There are also some solid online programs which provide more structured learning than book-reading. Bradford and Durham might be worth looking into, based on your budget.

My humble suggestion is that let's do not discount the value of an education at the postgraduate degree level to networking only, or networking as the main objective. If it is indeed networking that one is looking for, there are lots of other -and significantly less costly- ways for that. No need to bother one's self with studying, projects, etc. solely or mainly for networking, IMO.

Hey Mattie, I think it would be worth thinking more about the end game you really want to achieve - ie is it important to you that you do it full time? - do you want to study in a different country for the experience? , does your budget also need to include living expenses? etc etc

Have you considered breaking it down into a DMS qualification that could be done locally to you and then do a full time or even DL Top Up.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the advice. I should consider part time or online options. I was hoping to be able to take a year to focus but we'll see. Thanks again.