Undergraduate award: Certificate in Coaching

Course Dates

Our learners

Catherine, Certificate in Coaching

“The course has taught me much more about the different philosophies and approaches that exist, how to think about integrating them into my practice, and how to understand the research literature so that I can be evidence based.”

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Binita, Certificate in Strategic Business and Management

“The opportunity to learn from expert faculty and collaborate with peers from so many professional backgrounds was genuinely inspiring.”

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Our learners

Course information

Course highlights

During this part-time online certificate course, you will:

benefit from a full range of Association for Coaching members’ services
develop study and writing skills

In 2025, this programme received official recognition under the Association for Coaching’s (AC) Accelerated Coach Training Scheme. Students who complete the course and wish to pursue individual accreditation with the AC may qualify to apply for either Foundation Coach or Coach level status. This process offers a streamlined route by recognising the competencies acquired during the course. For further details, please refer to the Association for Coaching.

As part of our learning community, you will:

understand a range of coaching processes and techniques, and the theories that underpin them
understand the interrelationship of the concepts of coaching, mentoring, counselling and training
gain a critical awareness of the legal and ethical considerations of coaching
be able to demonstrate the importance of self-awareness and non-judgemental approaches to coaching
critically review the role of awareness in development and how it leads to responsibility
explore the concept of psychological mindedness and the importance of creating safe coaching environments
consider and critically review the difference between life coaching and executive coaching, and explore further coaching applications, such as team coaching, career coaching and working with specific groups, such as young people
consider the practical aspects of coaching, including managing the coaching relationship, contracting, monitoring and reviewing, and closing the relationship

Course breakdown

This course will run from Friday 9 October 2026 to Wednesday 9 June 2027.

Each term’s teaching usually takes place during four live study days (usually on Thursdays and Fridays), followed by 8 weekly one-hour tutor facilitated study groups (usually on Thursdays).

The live study days usually take place between the hours of 9.30am to 3.30pm UK time. Exact teaching dates and times will be confirmed in the course guide upon enrolment.

Michaelmas Term: Introduction to Coaching: Core Skills and Methodologies

Course (Unit 1) start date: 9 October 2026
Unit 1 end date: 6 January 2027

Lent term: Raising Awareness in Self and Others

Unit 2 starts: week commencing 4 January 2027
Unit 2 end date: 24 March 2027

Easter term: Coaching Applications and Coaching Practice

Unit 3 starts: Week commencing 29 March 2027
Unit 3 end date: 9 June 2027

After the course

Our successful certificate students often go on to:

start their own coaching business
promote coaching more widely in their place of work, so helping to shift the culture of their organisations
work in a specialised area, such as wellness coaching, career coaching or DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)
apply to study on our Level 5 Coaching Professional Apprenticeship
apply to study on our MSt in Coaching programme for advanced practitioners.

As part of our open and inclusive learning environment, you can enjoy the world-class resources and expertise of the University of Cambridge wherever you are on your academic journey.

Our video-based teaching platforms offer a flexible way to access lectures, while our Virtual Learning Environment makes it easy to study and learn online and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

Our teaching methods include lectures, presentations, and interactive and experiential learning activities. We will also give you reading and assignments to complete outside of classroom sessions.

You will demonstrate your learning using a range of assignments submitted at the end of each unit.
You are required to undertake an observed coaching session during the course, which will be assessed on a pass/fail basis against the Association of Coaching (AC) competency framework.
As well as the end of unit assignments you are also required to submit a reflective coaching log with evidence of satisfactory coaching practice, consistent with the coaching principles and practice skills as taught during the course. This will be assessed on a pass/fail basis against the Association of Coaching (AC) competency framework. The coaching log will consist of evidence of 20 hours coaching. These 20 hours can include up to 7 hours of coaching with fellow students on the course, including classroom-based activities.

There are more details about how this course is assessed in the course guide we will send you once you have enrolled.

Qualifications

This course is equivalent to half of the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree. It offers 60 CATS credits, which are recognised by higher education institutions and employers.

Hours of study

The award of academic credit is a means of quantifying and recognising learning and within the UK, one credit notionally represents 10 hours of learning. This course attracts 60 credits, so students should expect to need to study for approximately 600 hours in total to complete all units successfully. However, it is recognised that students study at different paces and use a variety of approaches, so this is a recommendation, rather than a hard-and-fast calculation.

SEEC Credit Level Descriptors for Higher Education (2021) here.