Empowering the Next Generation of Coaches to Lead with Purpose, Insight and Impact

Whether you’re an aspiring coach, a business leader or a graduate student seeking to elevate your career, the Executive Coaching Certificate at Elmhurst University delivers the hands-on training, credentialed experience and personalized mentorship you need to succeed. With executive coaching and leadership development more critical than ever, this certificate equips you with credentials that will stand out and benefit your future.

This one-year certification blends the science of coaching with real-world practice. Students will learn to lead impactful coaching sessions, navigate complex workplace dynamics and develop the competencies required to pursue certification from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). We integrate practice, application and theory to engage professionals as they apply their learning to the workplace.

What You’ll Learn

Through a unique mix of theory, tools and simulations, you’ll gain expertise in:

• Coaching theories and frameworks
• Executive presence and emotional intelligence
• Personality assessments
• Client interviewing, goal-setting and coaching strategy
• Group and one-on-one coaching
• Belonging informed coaching practices
• Practical prep for ICF certification

Program Highlights

Experiential Learning – Coach real clients and receive expert feedback from certified faculty

Flexible Format – EU Flex: in-person or online synchronous options

Personalized Supervision – One-on-one coaching and recorded session reviews

Professional Development – Four workshops to include topics such as conflict management, emotional quotient (EQ) and communication

Real Coaching Hours – Build a portfolio and log ICF-qualifying hours

Who Should Apply?

• MBA and Industrial/Organizational psychology grad students
• Professionals seeking to become certified coaches with five plus years of working experience
• Educators, consultants or leaders in HR or talent development
• Managers, leaders and supervisors
• Elmhurst alumni ready to level-up their impact

Program Format and Duration

One Academic Year | Six Courses | Fall Start

• EU Flex classes for on-line or in-person synchronous learning each term
• Supervised coaching hours and client sessions included

Course Structure 

Over the span of one academic year, you’ll complete six dynamic courses designed to build your coaching expertise step-by-step. Each course blends theory, practice and personal development:

Real-World Experience

Client Simulation

Students are assigned clients for the final two terms. The goal is to help the professional through a focal issue such as a career transition, leadership development, business strategy, marketing, branding or goal setting. Your professors will review the sessions and provide one-on-one feedback to increase skills and application. The supervision sessions will help you better process and manage your future clients.

The client meets one-on-one with the student for eight, hour-long sessions throughout the two terms. With consent from the clients, the student records each session for review and feedback. After each session, the student sets up a one-on-one session with the professor for their supervision session; each supervisory session lasts 60 minutes.

Professional Development Opportunities

Additionally, in the last two terms of the course, we offer four professional development (PD) sessions for the student to develop their skills further. The PD sessions are two hours, and the following sample topics could be completed:

• Diversity training
• Communication training
• Time management
• Conflict management
• Generational training

Outcomes

By the end of the program, you’ll be ready to:

• Coach executives and professionals with confidence
• Leverage data from assessments to drive transformation
• Build a coaching practice or integrate coaching into your leadership role
• Sit for the ICF exam with a toolkit of real coaching experience

This certificate meets ICF Level 1 accreditation standards, making it a clear pipeline to ICF certification. You will complete a coaching portfolio and final practicum project to showcase your capabilities to clients and employers.

Tuition

Includes training, assessments, client simulations, PD workshops and a practice exam. Tuition is $670 per credit hour (18 credit hours) for a total of $12,060. This includes assessment fees but does NOT include the $300 student fee for fall and spring.

Faculty Spotlights