Get set to coach
Develop the communication and interpersonal skills needed to establish and maintain an effective and developmental coaching relationship. In the company of leading experts and fellow students, you’ll also look at coaching as a tool for personal development.
Ready to start your coaching journey? Apply and enrol by 31 May 2026 to save £150 on your course fee (terms and conditions apply).
Why choose this course with us?
- Learn at Cambridge, whatever your experience: this is an open-entry course
- Access Cambridge teaching in a flexible format: part-time and online
- Gain a credited, Cambridge award: boost your learning and career opportunities
- Join our peer-learning and Cambridge alumni communities: connection and support, for life
Course Dates
Course details
Tutors
Course overview
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 MSt in Coaching programme for advanced practitioners.
Entry requirements
There are no formal academic entry requirements for this course. It’s open to all learners who are interested in the subject.
English language requirements
Our courses are taught in English and require a good level of fluency. If English is not your first language, you’ll need to meet the requirements of one of the language proficiency tests below. You’ll need to complete your test and submit the results to our admissions team by 15 September 2026.
IELTS (Academic), IELTS for UKVI Academic, IELTS One Skill Retake
Overall score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in any component.
TOEFL iBT or TOEFL Home Edition
https://www.ets.org/toefl.html
Overall score of 92, with no element below 20.
(Please note that changes to TOEFL Internet Based Test and Home Edition mean that it will no longer be suitable for entry to Cambridge at Undergraduate level from 21 January 2026. Tests taken after this date will not be accepted.)
Cambridge English C2 Proficiency
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/proficiency/
Overall score of 176, with no element lower than 169.
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.
Fees
The total fee for this course is shown above in 'Course details'.
To help you manage your finances more comfortably, you can pay the fee in instalments. For more information on payment options, and how to secure your place, see how to pay.
Funding
We're dedicated to reducing and removing financial barriers to learning. Visit financial support before applying to find out what options may be available to help you in your studies. You can explore external funding and stay up to date on our concessions and bursaries.
Undergraduate early enrolment offer
Want to learn for less? Apply and enrol by 31 May 2026 and you'll save £150 on your course fee. Terms and conditions apply.
We're committed to supporting you in your learning journey, and we offer a variety of support opportunities to meet individual needs. Visit student support to find out more about how we can help.
