2025 Bord Bia International Graduate Programme

From Ireland to the world – At Bord Bia we believe in nurturing the next generation of talent, while experiencing the vastness of the world at large. All this while gaining a Masters qualification in Global Business Practice from UCD Smurfit Business School.

Applications are now open for the 2025 Bord Bia International Graduate Programme - Apply Now .

Programme Overview

Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, acts as a link between Irish food, drink and horticulture suppliers and existing and potential customers throughout the world. Its objective is to develop markets for Irish suppliers and to bring the taste of Irish food to more tables worldwide. With its headquarters in Dublin, Bord Bia has an extensive network of overseas offices.
The Bord Bia Talent Academy in partnership with Smurfit Executive Development, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School offers a range of world-leading post-graduate opportunities including the MSc Global Business Practice (Bord Bia International Graduate Programme).

Together we are looking for ambitious final year 2024/2025 students* and recent graduates* who come from a broad range of undergraduate degrees and who want to develop their global food industry expertise.

As part of the Bord Bia International Graduate Programme successful candidates will undertake exciting international placements including rotations across Bord Bia's global office network while gaining an internationally recognised Masters.

This is a full scholarship programme. All tuition fees are paid and, in addition, you receive a tax free bursary of €43,700- €49,450* for the 24-month programme. The bursary is to cover participant’s basic living costs per 24 months. (Bursary is approximate and depends on the location assigned)

This is a full-time Action Learning programme designed around eight modules that will be delivered virtually or in-person. The programme will challenge participants through an exciting programme that includes block releases in Dublin, combined with industry placements.

On successful completion, graduates will have developed key competencies relevant to developing and implementing strategies for the Irish food/agribusiness industry. These competencies relate to export development strategies, building and using customer and market insights, marketing plan development and strategic marketing, delivering customer value propositions, global business in a digital context, logistics and supply chain management, and business sustainability.

If you have any queries about this programme, please contact a member of our team by email: bordbia@ucd.ie

What we’re offering

We’re offering YOU a career-changing opportunity. We’re looking to foster the next generation of talent in the Irish food and drink industry. This programme offers invaluable market experience to graduates, which can act as a springboard for a successful career in the food and drink sector. This programme combines on-the-job experiential learning, with a fully-funded monthly bursary, and academic study leading to a UCD Smurfit Business School accredited MSc.

There are opportunities to be placed in Dublin or in one of Bord Bia’s international offices (language and demand dependent) with previous locations including Milan, Dusseldorf, Tokyo, Madrid, New York, Amsterdam, Paris, Shanghai, London and more. Our Graduate Programme has something for everyone with learning rotations across the different teams in Bord Bia, you could be based in HR, Marketing, Events, Global Business Development, Origin Green, Insights and more.

Click here to learn more.

All participants in the International Graduate Programme will receive:

• Fully funded Master’s in Global Business Practice
• Competitive bursary
• Extensive training in: Consumer Insights, Sustainability, Brand Marketing, Digital Innovation and Leadership.
• Continuous feedback, mentoring and coaching through regular Development Priority setting
• Professional and Career Development
• Membership of the Bord Bia Alumni network
• Laptop
• Paid business expenses
• Employee assistance programme

The Programme Structure

You already know that with our programme, you’ll blend your main learning rotation with a Master’s qualification , but you’re probably wondering how that will work in practice.

Don’t worry – it’s completely manageable, here’s how:

You’ll complete 8 modules in total over the 24-month programme. These will be delivered in blocks throughout the programme either online or in-person in December/January and June/July (dates TBC).

You’ll complete group or individual assignments in the months following each block release and submit these assignments online. Also, there are no exams, so you can easily avoid those late-night cramming sessions.

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for graduates from any discipline as long as you have a Level 8 degree on the NFQ Framework and a minimum of 2:1 (expected or attained).

Above that, we want graduates that have a passion for the Irish Food and Drink Industry. We’re working for and with producers that have that passion, so you should too.

We also want graduates that are resilient, motivated, hardworking, and team players.

Click here to find out more.