Inside the MDP: Meet the Learning Sets Powering the Programme
One of the things that makes the UCD Smurfit Marketing Development Practice (MDP) so different from a typical postgraduate marketing programme in Dublin isn't just the live client projects or the business formal dress code - it's the fact that from day one, you're part of something bigger than your own individual project. Enter the Learning Sets.
Within the MDP at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, our 30 advisors are divided into five teams - known as Learning Sets, or LS's for short. These aren't just study groups. They're year-long, student-led initiatives that keep the programme running, growing, and evolving. Each LS takes ownership of a real function, and together they shape the student experience within one of Ireland's most hands-on marketing master's programmes.
Here's a look at what each team gets up to:
LS1 – The Recruitment Team
Before any of us set foot in the office, the Recruitment Team had already been hard at work. This group manages the interview and admissions process for prospective MDP students each year - from conducting interviews to attending open days and representing the programme to the next cohort. If you've been through the MDP application process, you've already met them.
LS2 – The Social Media Team
This is the team keeping the MDP visible online. LS2 runs our Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook channels, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what life as an MDP advisor actually looks like - the early mornings, the client presentations, the coffee runs, all of it. For anyone researching what it's like to study marketing at UCD Smurfit, this is your window in.
LS3 – LinkedIn & Alumni
The LinkedIn and Alumni team manages our LinkedIn presence and organises alumni mentorship panels - one of the most valuable parts of the programme. Getting to hear directly from MDP graduates now working in marketing across Ireland and beyond is the kind of real-world insight that no lecture can replicate. It's also a powerful reminder of the career outcomes this programme can open up.
LS4 – The Social Team
Every programme needs its social heartbeat, and LS4 provides exactly that. From organising trips and events to pulling together the UCD Smurfit Ball, this team makes sure the MDP student community always has something to look forward to outside of the office.
LS5 – The Charity Team (Jigsaw)
LS5 takes on something a little different. Our chosen charity partner is Jigsaw, Ireland's youth mental health organisation, and this team dedicates their year to organising fundraising events in support of young people's mental health across the country. It's a reminder that studying marketing at UCD is about more than career development - it's about using your skills to show up for the wider community too.
Five teams. Five different functions. One programme.
