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We sit down with Edel O’Leary, UCD Smurfit School’s MBA programme senior manager, to talk about their new LEAP module, which combines academics with real-world application.
If you’re looking to make a career change or advance further in your role, then you might consider UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School’s MBA graduate programme. It’s a unique opportunity that the globally ranked school provides to develop your leadership potential, accelerate your career and build a strong business network.
Designed for those who have already experienced the working world for a few years or more, the MBA is conveniently split into two programmes – the full-time MBA (one-year course) and the executive MBA (part-time two-year course). To learn more about the two, we ask Edel O’Leary, the MBA programme’s senior manager, to share her insights.
“Academically they’re very similar, but what is different is the student who takes them,” she explains. “Our Full-Time students are on average age 30, have seven years of work experience and about 80% of them are international students. Our Executive students are slightly older, in their mid to late 30s, they have over 11 years of work experience, and they are predominantly Irish. Overall, both are looking to make a significant investment in their future career potential.
“They may be happy working where they are right now; they may have been identified as a talent within their organisation and they want to advance their career path; or they’d like to make a particular career move in the next two to five years. And as part of that, they’ve decided that the MBA is the best academic program for them to undertake a broad business management qualification.”
In addition to these two offerings, Edel says, two major benefits set this MBA programme apart: its advantageous alumni network, a lifelong community with over 107,000 alumni who offer current students careers masterclasses and host networking events, and the MBA’s newest module, the LEAP programme (Leadership and Employability Advancement).
Education meets real-life application
The LEAP programme is the bridge between the academic and business worlds. It centres on professional development, with a dual focus on building global leadership competence and future employability in the market. Whether you’re in the Full-Time or Executive MBA, it’s designed to support you wherever you are in your career.
“The LEAP module allows students to take stock of where they are in their leadership journey to date. Whether they have been responsible for leading people before, or they’ve just been single contributors to organisations, it’s about their individual leadership aspirations, and how that fits with their career plans.
“Many of the modules cover leadership components, be it from a marketing or HR point of view, and how they integrate their personal leadership aspirations with the academic ones. So we bring all of those elements together in the LEAP module, which is compulsory and contributes towards your overall MBA.”
These competencies, Edel says, are based on the real working world. “We’ve developed these in conjunction with Smurfit’s leading employers, which we know is broadly representative of the competencies expected in business in Ireland and across Europe – and we invite our MBA students to understand these at different levels. The Executive MBAs are expected to embody competencies at the executive level.”
Assessment tools
Of course, before students can grow, the programme coordinators must first assess what leadership skills they have already acquired. They do so using psychometrical tools in an evidence-based management approach.
“Calling on proven techniques, psychometric tools have been in existence for many decades in business, and we bring them all into a framework, which allows the students to engage with them at their own pace in a safe environment. They can take on board the learning, self-reflect and create a plan for themselves for now and over the rest of their careers.
“Once we assess what level students are at,” Edel says, “we then work with them to develop a plan to close the gap in some of the areas where they are not displaying the competencies to the level that employers would expect.”
This plan includes invaluable tools and opportunities for growth, such as expert-led seminars, communications training, workshops across behaviours, guest panel discussions, career panel discussions, field trips where they visit leading employers across Ireland, individual mentoring with MBA alumni, and networking courses.
Self-reflection and growth
As someone who’s been in their position, Edel is uniquely placed to advise and encourage students to take full advantage of these opportunities and learnings the LEAP programme provides.
“I was in business myself, and I had opportunities to have both professional coaching and psychometric assessment. But, you don’t always get the time to self-reflect and modify your behaviour to the extent that you continue to grow and develop over many decades in a role. What’s great about the LEAP program is it gives you the time and space to do that, and then to make the commitment to yourself to implement it in the workplace.
“It is all new territory. It can be both intimidating and just a little bit uncomfortable to step outside how you normally behave or to get feedback. This is an important extra opportunity for the students to take all of that on board and to make the conscious decision to change and improve behaviours.”
As part of this growth process, students are encouraged to pursue their passions in a practical manner. “We spend a lot of time asking people to think about what makes them happy and what somebody will pay you to do. The key components of employability are your competencies, observable skills, behaviours and your experience to date. So look at what roles you’ve had, your disposition, your skillset and also your own personal drivers and values. They are the four important quadrants of what makes you tick as a person, and they all overlap – that’s where real employability comes from.
“Taking this time to develop yourself is important, and it’s a vital part of the transition that we expect our students to undertake in becoming a fully rounded MBA graduate at UCD Smurfit School.”
First-hand stories
While some students are seeking career changes, many seek the MBA programme to switch roles within their current industry. “For example,” Edel explains, “for the last few years, we have had a lot of people from a healthcare background, who are fully qualified physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and senior nursing staff, that have decided that they no longer want to work at the frontline of medicine. They want to make a career transition into healthcare consulting. We’ve also had several medical doctors who’ve made transitions into being entrepreneurs and set up their start-ups.
These career shifts are often a result of modules like the LEAP programme, as well as the conversations had with alumni during networking events. In fact, the LEAP programme has classes dedicated to networking. “Networking effectively is a learned skill. So, in addition to 1:2:1 coaching, we teach executive storytelling, networking and LinkedIn networking.
“Not everybody is comfortable with networking, but when people understand that it has a purpose and how to incorporate it into their day-to-day business and social life, they feel more comfortable with it. It’s an important part of building your executive presence, which is very important in today’s business world – both in person and online. You need the ability to have gravitas to deliver your message.”
Available supports
As far as supports go, Edel says it’s her job “to ensure that the path ahead of students is smooth and that there are no road bumps in their modules, especially when they travel together for certain modules.” She ensures that the programme works holistically, from admissions and recruitment to current and post-student experiences.
Edel also keeps the academic content as up-to-date as necessary to meet students’ career expectations while they’re on campus. “It’s important that I ensure we make long-lasting relationships with our students so that they become advocates for the school. And, when they become alumni, they work with us collaboratively to ensure that the network of MBA alumni works for both the school and for them. For the executive MBA students, my job is to ensure that they continue to experience all the supports they need as they’re going through their careers in the short term.”
This often includes interview preparation, CV preparation and organising panels, networking evenings and executive evenings. “Then obviously,” Edel says, “it’s important that over their future careers, we stay in contact with them because they’re a part of the MBA community for life.”
FAQs
Interested in applying to the UCD Smurfit School’s MBA graduate programme? Edel answers some frequently asked questions below.
How does the application process work?
The applications for the MBA are open all year. Right now, we’re preparing for the start of the programme in mid-August. Candidates are required to apply online via the UCD applications system – this involves submitting an online application with basic details and answering short questions on why they are applying for our MBA. The application fee is €60, and all eligible candidates deemed suitable to be considered for the MBA or EMBA programme will be interviewed.
If you could advise any students looking to apply, what would you say?
Attend one of the open evenings we host throughout the year, where we bring the whole program team together. You will get to meet fellow students and alumni and hear about their firsthand experiences. We also take all general questions from the audience. On March 27, we’re hosting a Woman in MBA webinar, and that’s a unique opportunity to hear from a panel of women who have made career transitions. Myself and a number of our alumni will be there on the evening.
We have these evenings a few times a year, and what tends to happen is that students come to all of them and start to make friends and connections. Then in August, you have a strong network already established in the school to help you problem-solve and get over the initial hump of coming back to college and understanding how everything works.
On April 18, we have an MBA Master Class with Professor of Management Niamh Brennan, who will speak on the topic of Corporate Governance. Professor Brennan’s workshop will answer the questions: ‘What is corporate governance? Why do good governors become bad directors? Why do corporate governance failures continue to occur?’
What do the first few days of the programme entail?
The LEAP Module starts at the very beginning of the program, which discusses teamwork and executive presence. The first two days of the executive program cover these in detail, and it’s an important part of making connections with your new classmates and understanding how you’re going to work together in study teams as part of the MBA (which is a proxy for teamwork in the real business world.)
How does the programme stay relevant in an ever-changing landscape?
As part of the program office, we keep our connections with corporate Ireland fresh and relevant. So, we’re always in communication with many businesses across the country. We deal with all facets of business management, both at the executive suite and the junior suite levels. This includes recruitment, so we understand what businesses are looking for, what talent they’re looking to bring in, and how the competencies they’re seeking are changing all the time.
For example, right now resilience, adaptability and inclusive leadership are really important. Not just recruiting across genders or diverse backgrounds, but also in terms of the skill set that executives must bring to organisations now. Communicating with their teams, and the act of listening to people’s ideas and bringing fresh insights into organisations, allows them to adapt and change, which is crucially important. We are out speaking, but also listening. So many of our academics are involved in consultancy across businesses in Ireland, so it’s really important to bring back that learning into the classroom also.
IMAGE has partnered with UCD Smurfit School for the last 16 years to offer one female candidate a 100% scholarship to join the Full-Time MBA or Executive MBA programme. This year’s successful candidate will commence in August 2024. You can read about our current scholar, Sharon McManus, here. The scholarship is open to all successful female applicants for the MBA who are resident in Ireland. The closing date for applications is April 30, 2024. To find out more and apply, click here.
To find out more about UCD Smurfit School programmes and apply, go to smurfitschool.ie.
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